What is Cybersecurity Awareness Month?

 

Background

Held every October, National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) is a collaborative effort between government and industry to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity and to ensure that all Americans have the resources they need to be safe and secure online.

 

Cybersecurity is Everyone’s Business

This year’s main effort is to encourage all Americans to take proactive steps to enable lasting, positive cybersecurity behavior change at home and at work.

 

Protecting against cyber threats is a critical challenge for organizations of all sizes in both the public and private sectors and serves as a constant reminder of the need to promote cybersecurity awareness across the Nation.

 

NCSAM highlights the importance of empowering citizens, businesses, government, and schools to improve their cybersecurity preparedness. It reminds us that being more secure online is a shared responsibility and creating a safe cyber environment requires engagement from all Americans.

 

This year’s slogan – Own IT. Secure IT. Protect IT. – focuses on key areas including citizen privacy, consumer devices, and e-commerce security.

“Own IT”

The number of devices connected to the Internet is increasing at an exponential rate, and this makes it even more important to understand your digital profile and the potential for cybersecurity threats. OWN your online safety by taking proactive steps to ensure your information is secure.

 

“Secure IT”

Technology is evolving, as are the tactics used by cybercriminals to obtain your, your family’s, or your company’s data for financial gain. SECURE your devices and accounts with added layers of security. Create strong passwords/passphrases, enable multi-factor authentication, and change default passwords on routers and IoT devices.

 

“Protect IT”

Understanding how to keep your digital profile safe will help protect you from cybercrime. The ways cybercriminals can gain access to your information is constantly evolving, which means everyone must work to PROTECT their information by practicing good cyber hygiene at home and in the workplace.