October begins Cybersecurity Awareness Month. As we are more connected than ever before, being “cyber smart” is critical. Security breaches and cyber-attacks continue to happen with great frequency. Cyber-attacks also continue to become more sophisticated in targeting individuals, businesses, and institutions. This year’s theme for For our first post in our weekly series about Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we will be highlighting the history of Cybersecurity Awareness Month and highlighting some common things that you can do to be cyber smart.

History of Cybersecurity Awareness Month

Cybersecurity Awareness Month began in 2004 as a collaboration between the National Cybersecurity Alliance and the Department of Homeland Security. It was started in an attempt to broadly help Americans stay safer online. In its earliest form, mirrored other similar outreach efforts like changing the batteries in your smoke alarms by encouraging individuals to update their antivirus and other software on their machines. The most recent efforts have grown out of grassroots efforts to expand participation to reach individuals in areas such as businesses, non-profit organizations, college campuses, and others.

In 2010, the STOP. THINK. CONNECT campaign launched. The STOP. THINK. CONNECT campaign centers around spreading educational and awareness messages about cybersecurity awareness. The National Cybersecurity Alliance and the Anti-phishing Working Group continue to lead this campaign. To learn more about their campaigns, please see their campaigns page.

As Cybersecurity Awareness Month continued to grow, the National Cybersecurity Alliance and the Department of Homeland Security developed weekly themes for Cybersecurity Awareness Month to help individuals and groups better disperse the information to the larger community.

For more information on the history of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, visit the About page for the National Cybersecurity Alliance.

Cyber Basics

For week one of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we are concentrating on the basics of cybersecurity.

Use strong passphrases/password manager

While this might seem obvious, passphrases and password managers are just as important as keeping your passwords. The National Cybersecurity Alliance recommends LastPass as a great option for a password manager. They have a free option that you can use with one device. More information is available on their page. However, it’s important to note that by using long and unique passwords, you can keep your passwords safe from cyber hackers. Technology@Wooster provides guidance on passwords via our Technology Documentation. Please see our Password page. If you have questions about your password or how to keep it safe, reach out to the Help Desk.

Perform software updates

When your device prompts you that it’s time to update software, it is tempting to postpone or ignore the message. However, having the latest security software, web browser, and operating system on devices is one of the best defenses against online threats. So, don’t wait – update.

Do your research

Common sense is a crucial part of maintaining good online hygiene, and an intuitive step to stay safe online is to do some research before downloading anything new you are downloading to your device, such as apps. Before downloading any new learning app on your device, make sure that it’s safe by checking who created the app, what the user reviews say, and if there are any articles published online about the app’s privacy and security features.

Check your settings

Be diligent in double-checking your privacy and security settings and be aware of who can access your documents.

Next Week

Next week we will be covering phishing. In the meantime, check out the basics from Stay Safe Online for the basics. Remember to be cyber smart.