Every October for the past 17 years, the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) have campaigned across the nation to provide cybersecurity resources to help all Americans be safe online. This year their theme is “Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart.”
In honor of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM), SobelCo is committed to helping spread cybersecurity awareness by sharing these important resources to stay safe and secure online. Since COVID-19, the internet has been our lifeline to family, work, and school, and it is more important than ever to be proactive and raise your awareness to reduce your risks of becoming a victim of a cyberattack. How many times has an email, or an article caught your attention, and through sheer curiosity you clicked? Similarly, those clicks have led businesses, as well as individuals, into financial ruin. To give some statistics, in 2019, the U.S. business sector had a 17% increase in data breaches.[1] For a U.S. company in 2019, the average cost of a data breach was $8.9 million.[2] In 2019, there were 3,200,329 total reports of identity fraud in the U.S. [3]
While you may think the picture is grim in stopping cybercrimes, there are simple steps to help protect and be safe on the internet. Get educated by going to the Department of Homeland Security and CISA website for the NCSAM free resources and tip sheets (https://www.cisa.gov/publication/national-cybersecurity-awareness-month-publications). Some topics covered are Cybersecurity at Work, Identity Theft and Internet Scams, Protecting Your Digital Home, and Social Media Cybersecurity.
You are only one click from identity theft or financial ruin, so be proactive and follow the NCSAM guidelines and “Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart!”Valerie Carroll, SobelCoForensic and Valuations Services
