Cybersecurity Awareness Month Tips, Tricks and Treats

(But not for bad guys!)

Another year, and an even greater need for increased cybersecurity awareness for everyone. With the increased use of AI this year, a lot of companies are moving from cloud to on-premise and security should remain one of the top priorities for all. Read on for some tips and best practices that can protect organizations, consumers, and the everyday user.

Patch your software regularly: 

This remains one of the best defenses, even if it’s one that may be the cause of a lot of developers’ nightmares. As threats continue to attempt to find new vulnerabilities in existing platforms and software, updating to incorporate patches helps protect your system, employees, and your customers. 

Use strong passwords: 

This remains one of the top cybersecurity concerns. NIST recently made some slight changes to recommendations for good password hygiene including: emphasizing length of passwords over complexity, allowing all special characters and emojis, instating minimum 6-8 characters with a max of 64, and doing away with complexity requirements (mixture of upper/lower and special characters). These should help users create and remember better passwords/phrases.

Enable two-factor authentication: 

Along with the passwords, requiring 2FA adds an extra layer of security to your accounts. At first, users may find it a little cumbersome but the protection is well worth it.

Back up your data regularly: 

This is an often-overlooked function that most people (other than IT staff) forget, but everyone should be aware of back-up needs and requirements. Make sure that vital/critical information is stored in proper locations instead of individual stores (local drives, etc.) to help you recover from a data breach (or other disasters) in a more efficient manner.

Educate your employees: 

Cybersecurity awareness should be at the forefront of every organization. Make sure your employees are aware of the risks of cyber attacks and how to protect themselves! Provide regular updates on current threats, risks, and trends in the cyber world. Not only does it keep them aware of what threats are ongoing, but it provides them with a little ownership in the defense of their systems.

Develop an incident response plan: 

A well-crafted plan outlines procedures for identifying, containing, eradicating, and recovering from security breaches, ensuring a swift and effective response to minimize damage and maintain business continuity. The plan should also be reviewed periodically throughout the year and updated anytime a major change occurs in both your systems and offerings to customers.

Monitor your network for suspicious activity: 

By continuously tracking network traffic, system logs, and user activity, you can detect anomalies that may indicate malicious activity or system failures. This proactive approach allows you to respond quickly to incidents, minimize downtime, and protect your organization’s valuable assets.

Segment your network: 

By separating critical systems and data from less sensitive components, you can reduce the potential impact of a breach and improve network efficiency. Additionally, segmentation can help simplify network management and troubleshooting.

Use a firewall: 

By acting as a barrier between your internal network and the external internet, firewalls can filter incoming and outgoing traffic, blocking harmful content and preventing unauthorized access. This helps to safeguard your sensitive data and maintain the integrity of your network.

Be careful with AI: 

While the recent advancements in AI are groundbreaking, there are still major concerns that must be addressed when implementing and utilizing the tools within your business. It’s important to understand the data that models have been trained with, how they utilize your interactions with open/paid platforms, and how adversaries influence these platforms and their capabilities. Be aware and stay vigilant!

The complexity of today’s information systems and interconnected world grows daily. Year-round cybersecurity awareness and its best practices can assist in protecting yourself, your employees, teammates, and customers from threats.