National Cyber Security Awareness Month
October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, and it's a good time to take a hard look how our online behaviors may be putting us in harm's way.
Top 10 Cyber Security Tips for 2008
- Use strong passwords at work and at home. Update your password frequently and encourage others to do the same.
- Update your anti-virus software and firewalls. New threats are discovered everyday. Keeping your software and firewalls updated is one of the easiest ways to protect yourself from an attack. Set your computer to automatically download and install updates for you.
- Back up your important files. Files stored on your computer can easily be lost, stolen or corrupted. To safeguard these files, copy them onto external storage devices or removable discs, and keep them in a safe place.
- Suggest or sponsor an event at your local school or University designed to increase student and staff cyber security education and awareness. Download EDUCAUSE’s cyber resource kit online at www.educause.edu.
- Reach out to people that you know – your co-workers, friends, even your kids – and remind them to practice good online safety and security habits, including protecting their personal information and their online reputation. For more information and tips go to www.staysafeonline.org and www.us-cert.gov.
- Use regular communications like your website, newsletters, and email alerts to reach your organizations stakeholders and promote your commitment to cyber security. Useful newsletter topics might include: updating software processes; protecting personal identifiable information; and securing your wireless network. Download and brand your own newsletter at www.msisac.org.
- Create a separate section for cyber security tips on your website. Download online buttons and banners about phishing, identity theft, file-sharing, and other cyber security topics at www.msisac.org or www.OnGuardOnline.gov and place on your organization’s home page.
- Print cyber security posters and cards from www.OnGuardOnline.gov and post them in work-rooms, hallways, and other employee gathering places. Print and post cyber security tips near your computer at work and at home near the family computer. Review them with your colleagues, classmates, employees and family members.
- Subscribe to the National Cyber Alert System from the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team at www.us-cert.gov. Through the Alert System, you can receive timely information about current cyber security problems to protect home and office computers. This information includes weekly bulletins with summaries of new vulnerabilities, patch information when available, and tips on common security topics, such as privacy, and wireless security.
- Ask IT security specialists at your workplace to report any potential cyber incident, threat, or attack to the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) at 1-888-282-0870 or www.us-cert.gov.
