by Dave Moore, CISSP
10/16/2022
Although not an official part of the holiday season, having October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) is a good thing. If people can have an awareness of cyber security and stay safe, maybe the good guys can win the war for the Internet.
From the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) website, in the section devoted to the subject, we find,
“Now in its 16th year, National Cybersecurity Awareness Month is hosted every October by the Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance. Multiple agencies and organizations, including the FBI, collaborate to raise awareness about cybersecurity and stress the collective effort needed to stop cyber intrusions and online thefts and scams.
“Today’s cyber threat is bigger than any one government agency—frankly, bigger than government itself,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said at a cybersecurity conference in March.”
The National CyberSecurity Alliance is one of the founders of NCSAM. Their website, staysafeonline.org, is full of information designed to help people fight the Internet bad guys and win. “While most of the cybersecurity news articles are about massive data breaches and hackers, it can seem overwhelming and feel like you’re powerless against it. But Cybersecurity Awareness Month reminds everyone that there are all kinds of ways to keep your data protected. It can make a huge difference even by practicing the basics of cybersecurity.”
This year, they are focusing on four “key behaviors:” (1) Enabling multi-factor authentication; (2) Using strong passwords and a password manager; (3) Updating software, and (4) Recognizing and reporting phishing.” These are excellent focus areas which I also cover on my live class and newly-released book of the same title, “Fight the Internet Bad Guys and Win.”
“We encourage you to take a risk-based approach and focus on the behaviors most important to your organization.
Everyone can make a difference during Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Whether you have a minute, an hour or a day – or all month long – check out ways you can participate and support Cybersecurity Awareness Month and Become a Cybersecurity Awareness Month Champion for free resources to help you build your own campaign.”
I encourage you to visit their website and learn. Of all the different websites out there covering Cybersecurity Awareness Month, I believe theirs is the best.
Cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility, and Internet safety education is vital to your well-being. Keep reading this column and I will show you how you can become the best cyber-safe citizen you can be.
Dave Moore, CISSP, has been fixing computers in Oklahoma since 1984. Founder of the non-profit Internet Safety Group Ltd., he also teaches Internet safety community training workshops. He can be reached at 405-919-9901 or www.internetsafetygroup.org