Celebrated every October since 2003, the National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM), a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its public and private partners, aims at raising awareness about the importance of cybersecurity and individual cyber hygiene. October 2018 marks 15 years of this annual initiative. During this month, NCSA celebrates weekly themes to highlight that some of the most important aspects of cybersecurity are our shared responsibility. As an experienced data entry company, we suggest that when outsourcing their document management tasks, businesses should ensure that their outsourcing partners have strict data security measures in place.
This year’s overarching theme is “Cybersecurity is our shared responsibility and we all must work together to improve our nation’s cybersecurity”.
NCSAM 2018 Themes
- For the first week from October 1to 5 the theme is “Make Your Home a Haven for Online Safety”. During this week, parents can teach good cybersecurity practices to their kids. Week 1 focuses on basic cybersecurity essentials the entire family can organize to protect their homes against cyber threats.
- The theme for the second week from October 8-12 is “Millions of Rewarding Jobs: Educating for a Career in Cybersecurity”. Week 2 will address ways to motivate parents, teachers and counselors to learn more about the field and how to best inspire students and others to seek highly fulfilling cybersecurity careers.
- The third week from October 15-19 would focus on the theme “It’s Everyone’s Job to Ensure Online Safety at Work”. Week 3 will highlight cybersecurity workforce education, training and awareness while emphasizing risk management, resistance and resilience.
- The theme for the fourth week from October 22-26 is “Safeguarding the Nation’s Critical Infrastructure”. This week will emphasize the relevance of securing our critical infrastructure and highlight the roles the public can play in keeping it safe.
Non-profit organizations, government agencies, colleges and universities, and individuals can also join the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. ™ Campaign, which is a national public awareness campaign aimed at increasing the understanding of cyber threats and empowering the American public to be safer and more secure online.
Protect Your Business from Cyber Attacks
According to the Cyber Survey from InsuranceBee, most small business owners are unaware of and unprepared for cyber attacks. Of the 1,300 owners surveyed, 6% think cyber attacks will never happen, and 54% have no plan in place to deal with a cyber-attack. The worst thing reported is that 83% have no funds set aside to deal with the fall-out from one and a quarter of those hadn’t realized there would be any recovery costs involved.
To protect your business from cyber crimes, consider certain tips –
- Have a strong password policy. It is ideal to use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). Using the same password and username puts you at risk for cyber attacks.
- Protect all machines in your office with antivirus software. Keep your systems up-to-date with active anti-virus tools.
- Make sure to check for HTTPS when visiting a URL, as secure socket layer (SSL) verification ensures that the path between your browser and the server is secure.
- Be careful with bank accounts and credit cards. Checking account activity regularly can help to quickly identify any fraudulent activity.
- Providing security training for employees helps them become aware of the tricks and techniques hackers use and act accordingly.
Also, while considering outsourced solutions, small as well as large businesses must take care to choose a professional partner that follows standard security measures to prevent cyber attacks and data loss.
