October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month
About
Since 2004, the President of the United States and Congress have declared the month of October to be Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a dedicated month for the public and private sectors to work together to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity.
This is the 20th Cybersecurity Awareness Month and it has grown into a collaborative effort between government and industry to enhance cybersecurity awareness, encourage actions by the public to reduce online risk and generated discussion on cyber threats on a national and global scale.
Secure Our World: 2023 and Beyond
In recognition of the 20th year, CISA announced a new enduring cybersecurity awareness program, Secure Our World. Secure Our World reflects a new enduring message to be integrated across the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) awareness campaigns and programs, and encourages all of us to take action each day to protect ourselves when online or using connected devices.
The program promotes behavioral change across the Nation, with a particular focus on how individuals, families and small to medium-sized businesses can Secure Our World by focusing on the four critical actions below. Secure Our World is the theme for this year’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month and will remain the enduring theme for future awareness month campaigns.
Four Easy Ways to Stay Safe Online
We can all collaborate to build a safer, more trusted digital world! By learning the four simple steps we can take to stay safe online at home, work and school, and sharing these tips with our community, we can all become significantly safer online.
Below are the simple actions we should all take not only during October, but every day throughout the year.
Staying Safe Online Is Easy With These Four Steps
Strong passwords are long, random, unique and include all four character types (uppercase, lowercase, numbers and symbols). Password managers are a powerful tool to help you create strong passwords for each of your accounts.
You need more than a password to protect your online accounts and enabling MFA makes you significantly less likely to get hacked. Enable MFA on all your online accounts that offer it, especially email, social media and financial accounts.
Be cautious of unsolicited messages asking for personal information. Avoid sharing sensitive information or credentials with unknown sources. Report phishing attempts and delete the message.
Ensuring your software is up to date is the best way to make sure you have the latest security patches and updates on your devices. Regularly check for updates if automatic updates are not available.
