National Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2021

by | Oct 8, 2021 | Cyber Risk, FB Risk Advisor, Tips & FAQ

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. During this yearly event, government and industry leaders come together to raise awareness about the important of cybersecurity across our economy.

Did you know:

  • 95% of cybersecurity breaches are caused by human error.
  • 88% of organization experienced phishing attempts in 2019
  • $3.86 million is the average cost of a data breach in 2020

“Do your part. #BeCyberSmart.”

This theme was selected to empower both individuals and organizations to take ownership of their unique role in promoting cyber security with the key message being, “If you connect it, protect it.” With more employees working remotely than ever before, and in control of their connections and set up, it’s important to highlight how critical it is for each employee to take cybersecurity seriously and do their part.

As hackers and cyber criminals rise in numbers to exploit this once these exposures, its crucial for businesses to safeguard company data, protect customers’ personal information and ensure employee privacy. Here’s how you can do your part to foster organization cyber security:

Establish policies to promote cybersecurity. This includes bring your own device policies, email and internet policies, remote work policies and incident response plans.

 

Educate your employees. Your employees can act as your first line of defense or a gracious doorman. Utilize a training program to make employee aware of cybersecurity threats and hos to avoid them.

 

Implement smart software. Install strong spam filters, firewalls, and anti-virus and malware programs on all company devices. Utilize a VPN or virtual private network to maintain network security.

 

Enforce access controls. Only allow trusted and qualified individuals access to sensitive data. Further ensure employees use strong passwords and update them routinely.

 

Bolster business continuity. Be sure to back up data frequently. One backup = no backups. Consider storing copies of critical data in additional secure locations, such as the Cloud.

 

Finally, have a plan! Ensuring the proper implementation of a cybersecurity plan for an organization is often too complex to tackle without expert support, so don’t be afraid to seek out support.

 

If you would like to understand where you organization stands with cyber exposures reach out to an FB Risk Advisor and learn about our 4 phases to safer data through FB Cyber Defense!

SHARE THIS POST

Related Posts