Reposted from CISA

• On September 28, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) kicked off the 20^th Cybersecurity Awareness Month. In tandem, CISA also launched a new, enduring cybersecurity awareness program known as “Secure Our World.” The Secure Our World program promotes behavioral change in all Americans, with a particular focus on how individuals, families and small to medium-sized businesses can Secure Our World by focusing on four critical actions: using strong passwords and a password manager, turning on multifactor authentication (MFA), recognizing and reporting phishing, and updating software. It also asks technology manufacturers to Secure our Products by designing products that are cybersecure right out of the box. Secure Our World is the theme for this year’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month and will remain the enduring theme for future awareness month campaigns.

  This October and year-round, CISA challenges everyone to help secure our

  ·        Use strong passwords that are long, random, and unique to each account, and use a password manager to generate them and to save them.

  ·        Turn on multifactor authentication on all accounts that offer it. We need more than a password on our most important accounts, like email, social media, and financial accounts.

  ·        Recognize and report phishing, as we like to say, think before you click. Be cautious of unsolicited emails or texts or calls asking you for personal information, and don't click on links or open attachments from unknown sources.

  ·        Update software. In fact, enable automatic updates on software so the latest security patches keep devices we are connected to continuously up to date.

•  world by adopting four simple steps that everyone can take to stay safe online:

• Additionally, as part of the effort to Secure Our World, we offer resources and tips: 

·        For individuals and families, the Secure Our World program emphasizes the importance of securing personal accounts, offering guidance on personal device safety, safe internet browsing practices, social media usage, and protecting personal information online. 

·        Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) face unique challenges, so we are working to help them Secure Our World by offering tools and resources that can help keep their businesses, employees, customers and, ultimately, our communities safer.

·        Tech manufacturers can Secure Our World by implementing security features built-in by design. Default settings should have the highest security measures implemented, and individuals can manually bypass security features if they don’t want them. Users should not have to opt-in to necessary security measures to make their products safe to use. Products should be safe for end users right out of the box.

By committing to safe online behaviors, we can easily minimize or prevent cybercriminals and hackers from infiltrating our devices and online accounts.

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