October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This is a good time to focus on your personal cybersecurity awareness as well as your organization’s. Our featured graphic indicates some security concerns. In this image, we are to imagine that we just walked down the hallway and found an open door to an empty room. Can you spot what’s wrong? (Details at the end of this post.)
Factoring in several areas of awareness, including your physical surroundings, can play a huge role in staying safe online. With training, simulations and activities you can change your security posture from fear to fierce! Cybersecurity is everyone’s business!
Here are some areas of focus for creating a secure and private culture that will assist you in your environment.
Password Security
- Create a strong password. Longer is stronger. Use a passphrase. It’s easier to remember and harder to break.
- Use a unique password for everything. Use a password manager to keep track.
- Never share your password with anyone.
Email Security
- Never open emails you aren’t expecting.
- Don’t click on links in emails.
- Report suspicious emails.
Data Security
- Identify the type of data you have access to and how to protect it.
- Don’t use public computers or wi-fi for personal or work-related business.
- Don’t save passwords on browsers.
- Don’t save credit card information on sites.
Physical Security
- Shut down or lock your device when you walk away.
- Don’t leave your devices unattended.
- Lock doors to limit access.
- Install anti-virus software.
- Back up your devices.
- Keep your devices and software up to date with patches.
- Report lost or stolen devices.
Internet of Things (IoT)
- Change default settings.
- Close or disable unused ports or services.
- Don’t store information on the device.
- Keep current on patches and updates.
Social Media
- Check your privacy settings.
- Delete unused apps on your mobile devices.
- Don’t disclose too much personal information online.
- Report cyberbullying, and don’t contribute to it’s activity.
By using security best practices and being #CyberSmart and #CyberAware, you can have peace of mind knowing that you are being effective in making your surroundings strong and safe.
Did you spot what’s wrong in our graphic?
- Open door to an empty room leaves accessibility to many items in the room.
- Projector is on and personal information is displayed on the board.
- A portable USB drive is accessible on the desk.
- The user’s password is displayed on the sticky note on the monitor.
These vulnerabilities can lead to data loss/theft.
- Log off or turn off the computer.
- Do not have a password publicly displayed.
- Store the USB in a secure location.
- Lock the door when you leave the room.