Print
Share page with AddThis

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month

See Yourself in Cyber!
Posted on: October 4, 2022 - 2:46pm

Cybersecurity Awareness MonthOctober is Cybersecurity Awareness Month (CAM) and for those of us who work in technology, this month's activities (and spam emails) are pretty familiar. The same old reminders, the anecdotal stories, the fear mongering - we have seen most of it by now. However, whether you are a security professional or not, it's important to remember that security is a continuous process. It is not a "one and done." Technology is constantly evolving and we must also evolve in ways to strengthen our defensive postures, at work and at home. Although we put a focus on cybersecurity during the whole of October, it's important that we think of security as a constant and apply best practices year-round to secure our online lives.

The National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) has partnered with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) for years to provide a program for designated cybersecurity month champions - representatives of organizations supporting CAM - to raise awareness. This year, the overarching theme is "See Yourself in Cyber." Security is primarily about people and their actions: making smart decisions and encouraging others to do the same. Security is not simply for the technically-inclined, but is everyone's responsibility. Each week in October, the IT Advisory Committee will be raising awareness on one of four behaviors that can help us to live more secure lives online:

  1. Week 1: Enable Multi-Factor Authentication
  2. Week 2: Use Strong Passwords and a Password Manager
  3. Week 3: Update Your Software
  4. Week 4: Recognize and Report Phishing

For more information on Cybersecurity Awareness Month, please visit https://staysafeonline.org/programs/about-cybersecurity-awareness-month/

#BeCyberSmart

The IT Advisory Committee is a committee of volunteers that primarily work full-time, so If you have any suggestions to help raise awareness this month, please reach out to the committee chair, Anna Deignan, with your ideas. We meet on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at 7PM and we are always looking for more members. Consider filling out a talent bank form and submitting it to the Town Administrator's Office.