Cyber Security Awareness

Cyber security is of concern to consumers, businesses and governmental entities as online attacks have grown in sophistication, persistence, and severity.

Phishing scams are a popular tactic for cybercriminals. Phishing is the attempt to acquire sensitive information by masquerading as a trustworthy entity, usually by e-mail. 86% of people said they may have experienced a phishing incident.

 

Overconfidence in connected devices is making consumers more vulnerable. 20% of connected home device users don’t have any protective measures in place.
 

 

There are steps that the average person, businesses and governmental entities can take to protect themselves from cyber-attacks.
 

Tips for Businesses, Consumers and Governmental Entities
Businesses and governmental entities should share the following cyber security tips with their employees:

Make your passwords complex. Use a combination of numbers, symbols, and letters – both uppercase and lowercase.

• Change your passwords regularly (every 45 to 90 days).
• Do not give any of your usernames, passwords, or other computer/website access codes to anyone.
• Do not open emails, links, or attachments from strangers.
• Do not install or connect any personal software or hardware to your organization’s network without permission from your IT department.
• Make electronic and physical back-ups or copies of all your important work.
• Report all suspicious or unusual problems

Tips for Leadership and IT Professionals

• Implement “Defense-in-Depth”: a layered defense strategy includes technical, organizational, and operational controls.
• Establish clear policies and procedures for employee use of your organization’s information technologies.
• Implement Technical Defenses: firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and Internet content filtering.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has the following resources available to businesses, consumers and governmental entities:

https://www.dhs.gov/publication/stopthinkconnect-industry-resources

https://www.dhs.gov/publication/stopthinkconnect-small-business-resources

Other cyber security resources are available at:

https://www.us-cert.gov/

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/guide-to-internet-security/index.htm