For 'Cybersecurity Awareness Month' America's Cybersecurity Agency Shares Four Online Safety Tips
Since 2004 October has been designated "Cybersecurity Awareness Month" in America, "a collaborative effort between government and industry to enhance cybersecurity awareness, encourage actions by the public to reduce online risk and generate discussion on cyber threats on a national and global scale." That's according to America's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (or CISA), the operational lead for federal cybersecurity and national coordinator for critical infrastructure security and resilience (specifically designed for collaboration and partnership). It's why the NSA is publicizing the ten most common cybersecurity misconfigurations in large organizations. But in addition, for consumers CISA is introducing a new program this year that "promotes behavioral change across the Nation, with a particular focus on how individuals, families and small to medium-sized businesses can Secure Our World by focusing on the four critical actions..." In a video the director of America's cyberdefense agency calls them steps "that everyone can take to stay safe online."Use Strong Passwords, "meaning long, random, and unique to each account. And use a password manager to generate and to save them."Turn on Multi-Factor Authentication on All Accounts That Offer It. "You need more than a password on your most important accounts, like email, social media, and financial accounts."Recognize and Report Phishing. "Be cautious of unsolicited emails, texts, or calls asking you for personal information, and don't click on links or open attachments from unknown sources. Update Your Software. "In fact, enable automatic updates on your software, so the latest security patches just keep your devices continuously up-to-date."The video ends by noting CISA is asking tech companies and software developers to create products that are "secure by design." "And let's secure our families by ensuring that our loved ones know what to look for and how to stay safe online."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.