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