Cybersecurity Tips

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October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an event that the National Cybersecurity Alliance and the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) lead together.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month, every October, is a collaboration between government and private industry to raise awareness about digital security and empower everyone to protect their personal data from digital forms of crime.

-National Cybersecurity Alliance
Throughout October, our cybersecurity specialists shared tips and developments related to cyber safety. Below are the top 7 tips to help you be cyber smart and stay safe online.
  • Did you know that using weak passwords is one of the leading causes of payment data breaches for businesses? Learn how to build a better password.
  • Don’t participate in quizzes on social networks. Quiz questions often happen to be the recovery questions for your bank account. Don’t make it easy for the attackers to overtake your identity. Follow these tips!
  • What are website certificates? If an organization wants to have a secure website that uses encryption, it needs to obtain a website, or host, certificate. There are two elements that indicate that a website uses encryption. Watch out for websites with missing, expired or brand new (less than a day old) certificates. These can be unsafe to browse. Learn more!
  • On Patch Tuesdays, Microsoft releases updates to fix security vulnerabilities in its Windows operating systems and other software. Don’t delay the updates–your IT department will thank you.
  • Did you know that free wireless networks at coffee shops and airports can be used to steal your data? Attackers connected to the same network can easily capture wireless data such as your login and passwords or infect your device with malware. Learn more!
  • One of the easiest ways to keep your information secure is to keep your software and apps updated! Updating whenever possible fixes general software problems and provides new security patches where criminals might get in. Learn more ways to stay up-to-date.
  • Did you know that social engineers use a vishing approach that leverages voice communication? This technique can be combined with other forms of social engineering that entice a victim to call a certain number and divulge sensitive information. Learn more about vishing.

For more information about cybersecurity and risk assessments, contact Pawel Wilczynski or your BNN advisor.