Cyber Security Month is a collaborative effort between industry and government to ensure every American has the knowledge they require to stay more secure and safer online.
Cyber Security Awareness Month is an international campaign held each October to inform the public of the importance of cybersecurity. This campaign is focused on helping Americans be more secure online, knowing the natural measures to take to protect themselves, their families, their office, and their devices and by being informed.
October is National Cyber Security (NSA) Awareness Month, a time to brush up on smarter safety practices for everyday actions like banking, browsing, and online shopping. Hackers are getting smarter in 2019, so in case you have a computer, smartphone, or connected device, you want to know about this cybersecurity month.
Homeland launched this event with The National Cyber Security Alliance and security, and events are held across the country. From businesses to educational institutions, everybody participates in the attempts to get people more involved and aware in this month. With 200,000 new malware samples recorded each day, below, we’ll discuss a few takeaways.
How Cyber Security threats work
There is A cyber threat an activity intended to undermine the security of an information system (such as a computer network, a site or even a social networking page) by changing the confidentiality, availability, integrity of a system or the data it contains. These activities take place over the Internet. Cyber threat actors are just organizations or individuals, they may have skill sets, different motivations or capacities, but often the end result is often the same. In general, cause harm to an individual or a company; they try to demonstrate their capabilities or gain from activities that are online. Cybersecurity threat causers aim to take advantage of vulnerabilities, cybersecurity awareness that is low, and technological advancements to obtain unauthorized access to information systems and data in order to access or otherwise affect victims’ devices, data, networks, and systems. Sometimes actors use readily available and less sophisticated tools and techniques because they require little effort and fulfill their needs. Knowing how cyber threats work is the first step in protecting yourself and your organization from their actions.
Tips to Make Powerful Passwords
- Make your password long
- Include numbers, and lowercase letters, symbols, and uppercase
- Avoid using obvious personal information
- Do not reuse your old passwords
- Start using a password manager
- Keep your password under wraps
- Change your passwords frequently
Tips to Stay Safe Online
- Create Complex Passwords
- Boost Your Network Security
- Use a Firewall
- Click Smart
- Be a Selective Sharer
- Protect Your Mobile Life
- Practice Safe Surfing & Shopping
- Look out for the latest scams
- Keep your shield up
Cyber Security at Work
It’s just too easy to leave a password next to a scrap of paper to your phone or to leave your computer open as you run to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Homeland Security stresses the importance of companies having steps and a security plan in place, such as antiviruses filters and proper password security that will keep workers safe from office identity theft and other cyber hazards.
Cyber Security Jobs Outlook for the USA
The cybersecurity talent shortage is in a 12-year high. This issue was forecast for the last decade but is growing in scope and intensity. It is expected that 3.5 million cybersecurity vacancies will be unfilled globally by 2021. This is especially concerning for employers over the next 5 years.
Between Sep’17 and Aug’18, “U.S. companies in the private and public sectors posted an estimated 313,735 job openings for cybersecurity employees,” which falls in line with the prediction for 2021. Another encouraging source for the increasing cybersecurity shortfall is by the tech certification body (ISC)2. (ISC)2’s new online survey highlights the inability of cybersecurity job predictions to keep up with the cybercrime epidemic, stating “that the cybersecurity workforce gap is on pace to reach 1.8 million by 2022 — a minimal year-over-year increase in cybersecurity job openings over almost a decade.” Their smaller number seems to contradict other studies; however, the discrepancy is because of their focus being narrowed in on data security jobs and not the whole field of cybersecurity.
Conclusion
Over $35 billion was stolen via identity theft scams in 2016-18 and this month is the yearly reminder that everyone needs to stay conscious of the threat and the solutions that we can use to protect ourselves against these threats. Do not let yourself be one of those 18 Million victims; remain aware and guard yourself against these threats right now.