National Cybersecurity Awareness Month

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month (CAM). CAM is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and its public and private partners, including the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity and exercising good cybersecurity hygiene.

Introduction

October is Cyber Security Awareness Month, a global effort to help everyone stay safe and protected when using technology whenever and however you connect. CUNY is once again participating in the National Cyber Security Awareness Month program run by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and the Cyber Security and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to create awareness about cyber security. This year’s awareness theme is “Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart.” Each week in October, we will provide information and tips from leading Cyber Security organizations on protecting yourself online. Our goal is to help you make the most of today’s technology…safely and securely.

Facts and Figures:

The average total cost of a data breach in 2020 was $3.86 million and took an average of 280 days to identify and contain. (IBM)
The use of new breach techniques has boomed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 35% of breaches having leveraged new techniques in 2020. (Cynet)
88% of data breaches are caused by human error. (Tessian)

Our weekly themes are as follows:

Week 1 (Oct 4–Oct 8) – Be Cyber Smart
Week 2 (Oct 12 – Oct 18) – Fight the Phish
Week 3 (Oct 19 – Oct 25) – Careers in Cyber Security
Week 4 (Oct 26 – Oct 31) – Cyber Security First

You may also want to subscribe to OUCH!- the world's leading, free security awareness newsletter designed for technology users.

Week 4: Cybersecurity First.

Welcome to the fourth week of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This week we focus on “Cybersecurity First” which informs us how cybersecurity and staying safe online is increasingly important as we continue to operate virtually in both our work and personal lives. Before purchasing a device or online product, do your research. When you set up a new device or app, consider your security and privacy settings and update default passwords. Cybersecurity should not be an afterthought.

Helpful Tips:

You can find tip sheets with information on the following topics on the National Cybersecurity Awareness Month Publications site:

The following tip sheets can help you to protect your information:

These tip sheets provide important advice on how to:

Double check email attachments
Keep antivirus software updated
Utilize strong passwords
Keep software up to date

Facts and Figures:

Nearly two-thirds of companies have 1,000+ sensitive files open to every employee (Varonis)
Global spend on cybersecurity is set to cross $60 billion in 2021. (Canalys)
The IoT devices market is anticipated to reach $1.1 trillion by 2026. (Fortune Business Insights)

Week 3: Explore. Experience. Share.

Welcome to the third week of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This week we focus on “Explore. Experience. Share.” which emphasizes Cybersecurity Career Awareness Week. This is a week-long campaign that inspires and promotes the exploration of cybersecurity careers. Whether it’s students or those seeking a career change, the dynamic field of cybersecurity is rapidly growing and has something for everyone.

Helpful Tips:
You can find a Cyber Careers Profile tip sheet with information on the following topics on the National Cybersecurity Awareness Month Publications site:

Browse Cybersecurity Careers
Interviews with Cybersecurity Professionals
Career Profile Cards and Posters

Facts and Figures:

80% of companies say they have a hard time finding and hiring security talent. (Gartner)
By 2029, the cyber security job market is set to grow by 31%. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Application Development Security, DevSecOps, Container Security, Microservices Security and Application Security Code Review are set to be the most in demand cyber security skills over the next five years. (Burning Glass)

Week 2: Fight the Phish

Today, phishing attacks account for more than 80 percent of reported security incidents. It is important to spot and report phishing attempts to prevent ransomware and other malware attacks. Think before you click on any suspicious emails, links or attachments and make sure to report any suspicious emails if you can!

Helpful Tips:

You can find tip sheets with information on the following topics on the National Cybersecurity Awareness Month Publications site:

Important to know the Red Flags (suspicious aspects such as bad formatting or urgency). Visit "Be Aware" page for more information.
Verify the Source
Be Aware of Vishing and Other Phishing Offshoots
Don’t hesitate to report phishing. Contact BC-InfoSec@brooklyn.cuny.edu

In particular, the following tip sheets can help you identify and address phishing attempts:

Facts and Figures:

Malware increased by 358% in 2020. (Help Net Security)
According to the FBI, phishing was the most common type of cybercrime in 2020, with the bureau receiving 241,342 complaints in 2020. (FBI)
Phishing attacks account for more than 80 percent of reported security incidents. (Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report)

Week 1: Be Cyber Smart

This week, we focus on how you can “Be Cyber Smart” by better protecting yourself in cyberspace and taking proactive steps to enhance your security online. At a time when we are more connected than ever, being “cyber smart” is of the utmost importance.

Helpful Tips:

The following CUNY resources will help keep you safe:
Use up-to-date antivirus/antimalware software. If you don’t already have it, remember McAfee VirusScan software is available from the CUNY eMall software download page at no cost
Follow CUNY’s Best Practices for Secure Learning, Teaching and Working Remotely (pdf)
When using Zoom, follow CUNY’s Zoom Security Protocols (pdf)
Take CUNY’s online security awareness course (please provide the registration information requested) catered to CUNY students, faculty and staff

You can find the following tip sheets on the National Cyber Security Awareness Month Publications site:

Make a long and unique passphrase for all accounts
Enable multi-factor authentication wherever possible
Use a password manager
Update software as soon as updates are available
Keep backup copies of your data, both on and offsite

Facts and Figures:

61% of data breaches used compromised credentials. (Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report)
56% of IT leaders believe their employees have picked up bad cyber security behaviors since working from home. (Tessian)
More than 99.9% of Microsoft enterprise accounts that get invaded by attackers didn’t use multi-factor authentication. (ZDNet)

If you have any questions about any of this information, please contact our Information Security Team.

*National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) content is copyrighted and reproduced under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 or Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.