2021 Cybersecurity Awareness Month

Hosted by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Cybersecurity Awareness Month is in its 18th year and continues to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity across our Nation, ensuring that all Americans have the resources they need to be safer and more secure online.

Here at Worksighted, we are passionate about security and helping our clients and community stay safe online. This month we will be hosting weekly Facebook Live Sessions with our incredible security team and a webinar at the end of the month with a very special guest.

Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart.

Each week we will explore a different part of cybersecurity through email, social media and in a 30 minute Facebook live every Thursday. During these live chats, we will chat with one of our security team members. We’d love for you to join, ask questions and bring ideas! Here’s the plan:

• Week of October 4 (Week 1): Be Cyber Smart.
• Week of October 11 (Week 2): Phight the Phish!
• Week of October 18 (Week 3): Double Your Protection
• Week of October 25 (Week 4): Cybersecurity First

Here is a link to the Facebook event, click “Interested” or “Going” if you’d like to be reminded when we are about to Go Live! We will use the same event each week, so just come back every Thursday! More info on our webinar coming soon!

WHY IS CYBERSECURITY IMPORTANT?

Cybersecurity is the art of protecting networks, devices, and data from unlawful access or criminal use and the practice of guaranteeing confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information. Communication, transportation, shopping, and medicine are just some of the things that rely on computers systems and the Internet now. Much of your personal information is stored either on your computer, smartphone, tablet or possibly on someone else’s system. Knowing how to protect the information that you have stored is of high importance not just for an individual but for an organization and those in it.

DID YOU KNOW?

• As of 2021, there is a ransomware attack every 11 seconds, up from 39 seconds in 2019
• 43% of cyber-attacks target of small businesses, and they have grown 400 percent since the outbreak began

HOW CRIMINALS LURE YOU IN

Companies and organizations in the United States, as well as multiple foreign governments, were harmed by theft of intellectual property, trade secrets, and other highly valuable information by Advanced Persistent Threat (APT). By establishing initial access, the APT exploits user and administrator credentials enables lateral movement within the network and locates high-value assets to exfiltrate data. To reduce risk, network defense procedures should be implemented and comply with best practices. These guidelines can facilitate managing the risk and mitigating the threat.

• By stealing compromised credentials, an attacker can obtain victim identity information
• Criminals create new email accounts and hack existing ones to conduct social engineering attacks
• Spear phishing emails are sent containing malware and malicious attachments
• Malware is used to exploit various common vulnerabilities and exposures by exploiting software vulnerabilities in applications.

SIMPLE TIPS

• Keep software up to date. Attackers have been known to take advantage of well-known problems and vulnerabilities. Making sure you install software patches and utilizing automatic updates for your operating system will help protect you from attackers.
• Utilize strong passwords. Creating passwords that will be difficult for cybercriminals to guess is vital. Use different passwords for different programs and devices. It is also best to use long, strong passphrases or passwords that consist of at least 15 to 16 characters. Use password managers to generate and remember different, complex passwords for each of your accounts.
• Double your login protection. Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) to ensure that the only person who has access to your account is you. Use it for email, banking, social media, and any other service that requires logging in. If MFA is an option, enable it by using a trusted mobile device, such as your smartphone, an authenticator app, or a secure token—a small physical device that can hook onto your key ring.
• Watch for Phishing. The goal is to gain information about you and use your information to make unauthorized purchases or gain access to a secure system. Be suspicious of unexpected emails and always check email address sources to make sure the email is not coming from a fake website.

If you are already a Worksighted managed client with Security Essentials, then you are in a great place from a security perspective. If you aren’t (yet) did you know that Worksighted offers a wide variety of security tools that cover the essentials you need to make sure your company is protected and secure? We have a team of security experts that are constantly on the lookout for new threats and new tools that offer increased protection. We offer in-house Security Awareness Training (SAT), can manage MFA and even have a Passphrase Generator that creates strong passwords! Get in touch today if you’d like to discuss how Worksighted can help you protect your most valuable assets.