Cybersecurity doesn’t have to be scary

It’s almost October, and no, this isn’t an ad for Pumpkin Spice Lattes. It’s time for Cybersecurity Month.

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS THE STRONGEST PASSWORD?

a. P@ssword123
b. CyberSure25
c. X!3v9z#}
d. a7CHTOlpghh-0!po

Why does Cybersecurity get its own month?

We hear a lot about the dangers of working online – spooky stories that absolutely make it a no-brainer for Cybersecurity month to be October. According to Statista, online crime will cost the world more than $13 trillion by 2027, and SentinelOne reports cybercrime frequency and complexity are both increasing with more remote workers and the advent of AI.

For many of us, the truly scary part of cybersecurity is how boring the training is. But no matter how we may dread dealing with the latest threats or improving our own best practices, this is a critical requirement for owning a business or spending any amount of time online.

What do I need to know?

This year both the government (the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Awareness Agency) and the National Cybersecurity Alliance (staysafeonline.org) are focusing on some core tasks.

Update Software.
It’s easy to ignore those little pings but out-of-date software is a critical source of vulnerabilities on all devices. Enable auto-updates where you can, and don’t forget to make sure that your software is still getting updates.

Recognize and report online scams.
Scams are becoming more common and just plain better thanks to the benefits of AI to improve language, communication strategies, and the technical tools to implement them.

Implement and require Multi-factor for all authentication.
Not all MFA is created the same. Biometrics are the most secure, but anything that requires that second step can be enough to get in the way of a scammer.

Use Strong Password and a Password Manager.
If you are a client of mine, you’ve probably heard me harp on this. IT. IS. SO. IMPORTANT. There is nothing better than a password manager, both in terms of securing your business and your life, AND for convenience. Once you have it set up.

WHAT IS THE PRIMARY GOAL OF RANSOMWARE?

a. To secretly spy on users’ activities
b. To encrypt a victim’s files and demand payment for decryption
c. To overload a website with traffic and cause it to crash
d. To spread advertisements on a victim’s computer

Constant Vigilance!

To help, we’ll be adding a section to this newsletter with a tip, fact sheet, infographic, or any important cybersecurity news and alerts. Just a little reminder that you – and your team! – need to be remain cautious and that security issues rarely show up when you’re ready for them.