Celebrate Online Safety - National Cyber Security Awareness Month!

You wouldn’t leave your door open at home for just anyone to walk in, would you? Likely the answer to that question is no, so why would you leave a door open online for cyber criminals to find their way into your life?

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month. This month provides online users with opportunities to educate themselves about online safety and the threats that cyber criminals can pose in everyday life. Online safety is not only important to businesses, but also to users at home on personal devices.

Internet safety is not only responsibility of one person or of just the IT department. Internet safety is the shared responsibility of the billions of users each year. Cyber criminals have ability to find creative and sneaky ways to hack systems and wreak havoc. It is up to each individual user to find different ways to stay ahead of areas of vulnerability online.

3 Tips for Staying Safe Online

• Unfamiliar? Don’t open it! If an email, message, or even a text message looks unfamiliar or suspicious, do not open it. Cyber criminals can use these tactics to get users to engage and steal important information.
• Safety in passwords. Many times we use passwords to protect our information from falling into the wrong hands. Always be sure to set strong passwords and change passwords frequently to ensure the protection of valuable information.
• Be aware of the latest scams. Cyber criminals evolve and change with the latest updates in technology. Keep yourself educated on the latest scams and breaches, and then check up on your own devices to be sure that your information will not be next.

SumnerOne will be providing information and educational opportunities throughout October for National Cyber Security Awareness Month. Be sure to check out our Tech Talk presented by SumnerOne page for cyber security advice from our IT Experts. Please subscribe to our blog and be sure to follow along with our Security series.

Originally published October 11, 2016, updated September 25, 2018