October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

Protecting yourself online is more important than ever. That’s why the Department of Homeland Security created National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. They also broke down action items by week. Here is the advice I found at https://staysafeonline.org/ncsam/about-ncsam/ for week 2.

Week 2: Oct. 9-13.

Cybersecurity in the Workplace Is Everyone’s Business

Whatever your place of business ‒ whether it’s a large or small organization, healthcare provider, academic institution or government agency – creating a culture of cybersecurity from the breakroom to the board room is essential and a shared responsibility among all employees.

Every organization needs a plan for employee education, training and awareness that emphasizes risk management, resistance and resilience. Week 2 will showcase how businesses of all types can protect themselves, their employees and their customers against the most common cyber threats. The week will also look at resources to help organizations strengthen their cyber resilience, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework.

Training and awareness…

“What exactly does that mean?” says Jim. He runs a dental office. Protecting patient data is his highest priority. He asks his network manager what exactly does “training and awareness” mean?

“An ounce of prevention is a pound of cure,” replies his network manager. “Here are a few things we can present at our next lunch and learn event.

• Security starts at home. We are running this training to protect everybody at home and at work. The workplace is not the only place where people use computers.
• Verify the operating system is up to date. Most computers these days run Microsoft Windows 10. Go to the Cortana search bar (bottom left corner), types Updates and press (Enter). This reveals the Windows Update status. All should be are up to date. If not, Windows will tell you.
• Vet links. When reading an e-mail, move the mouse pointer over a link but do not click it. This reveals where the link would take you. This helps expose fake, or phishing, sites.

Simple and free.

Checking virus protection, software updates and links is a no-cost solution to help keep you secure. Start improving your cybersecurity by following these steps today.