While you may think that you’re doing all that you need to do in order to keep your online data and personal information safe, there is likely more that you can, and should, be doing. The month of October is dedicated each year to cybersecurity awareness and this year’s theme is “Our Shared Responsibility,” so we wanted to take the time today to share and break down some of the highlights for this year.
What is NCSAM?
The National Cyber Security Awareness Month was created under the leadership of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance and launched in 2004 to ensure that every American has the resources needed in order to be more secure online. NCSAM has grown rapidly since its inception, reaching individual consumers, our youth, small and medium-sized businesses as well as large corporations, and educational institutions.
2018 marks the 8th anniversary the “STOP. THINK. CONNECT.” campaign which has more than 850 partners that help create a culture of online safety and security by integrating the campaign mantra into their education and awareness efforts and sharing the message in their communities.
2018 NCSAM Themes
Each year NCSAM covers multiple themes throughout the month of October addressing specific challenges and identifying opportunities for behavioral change. NCSAM 2018 will also remind everyone that protecting the internet is “Our Shared Responsibility” and will shine a light on our acute need for building a stronger, more cyber secure conscience workforce that will help ensure that our families, businesses, and our country’s infrastructure are better protected.
This year’s themes are:
- Week 1 (Oct. 1-5) – Make Your Home a Haven for Online Safety: Basic yet vital cybersecurity practices that you and your family can deploy to protect your home against cyber threats.
- Week 2 (Oct. 8-12) – Millions of Rewarding Jobs: Educating for a Career in Cybersecurity: Addressing different ways to motivate teachers, counselors, and parents to learn more about the cybersecurity field and how to inspire others to seek highly fulfilling cybersecurity careers.
- Week 3 (Oct. 15-19) – It’s Everyone’s Job to Ensure Online Safety at Work: Focusing on workforce education, training and awareness while emphasizing risk management, resistance and resilience in relation to cybersecurity. The National Cyber Security Alliance’s “CyberSecure My Business” will reveal how small and medium-sized businesses can protect themselves, their employees, as well as their customers against some of the most common threats.
- Week 4 (Oct. 22-26) – Safeguarding the Nation’s Critical Infrastructure: The theme this week emphasizes the importance of securing our critical infrastructure. Additionally, it will transition into November’s Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month, which is lead by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Get Involved
There are multiple ways that you can participate in and support this year’s NCSAM, including at home, school, work, social media, and in your community. Cybersecurity is indeed Our Shared Responsibility, so if you have a minute, here are a few ways that you can get involved.
At Home
- Become a NCSAM Champion – It’s free and easy to register.
- Sign Up for NCSA’s Newsletter — Receive regular online safety news and resources.
- Print the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. Tip Sheet — Display the printout in areas where family members spend time online.
- Hold a family “tech talk.” — Discuss how each family member can protect themselves, their devices, and information using the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. resource.
At School & Work
- Become a NCSAM Champion — It’s free and easy to register.
- Hold Cybersecurity Training For Employees — Using what you’ve learned and the available resources, taking the time for an all-encompassing training session can ensure that everyone gets exposed to the material.
- Print a NCSAM poster — Display the printout in your workplace or school.
- Lockdown — Strengthen your passwords and encourage your coworkers, employees and classmates to do the same. You should also strengthen your company’s email and online accounts by adding extra layers of security beyond a username and password such as two-factor authentication.
Social Media
- Follow the National Cyber Security Alliance — Get the latest online safety news and resources by following NCSA on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.
- Share & Post — Use the hashtag #CyberAware and post online safety tips and reminders about NCSAM.
- Blog About Cybersecurity — For National Cyber Security Awareness Month, highlight one of the NCSAM themes for your weekly articles or choose another related topic to cover.
- Replace Your Face — For the month of October, change your profile or cover photo with the NCSAM logo.
There are even more ways to get involved with this year’s NCSAM that are recommended on the Stay Safe Online website, as well as more resources available.
Security First
At BionicWP we take security very seriously. While of course we encourage you to participate in 2018’s NCSAM, we know that cybersecurity is something we should all take seriously throughout the entire year. This is the main reason why we offer our customers secure WordPress hosting along with daily malware scans, real time up-time monitoring, and as the ultimate failsafe — 90-days of offsite backups. Contact us today to find out how we can help provide you a little more peace of mind when it comes to cybersecurity.