Fall makes us think of crisp apples, changing colours, turkey dinners, Halloween candy – but what about cybersecurity?
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month (or #CSAM) and this year the focus was on encouraging all businesses to take action and think proactively about reducing threats.
Many global IT leaders and government initiatives shared excellent resources, important announcements, and practical tools throughout the month, but it’s a bit overwhelming trying not to miss the best bits of advice.
That’s where we come in.
We’ve collected some of the most helpful resources, facts, and advice from this year’s cybersecurity awareness month for you!
The Best of Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2019
2019 was the 16th year of #CSAM and although we’ve come a long way from passwords like “12345”, there’s still a lot more we can all do to #staycybersafe.
Cybersecurity in 2019 was defined by two key trends: lack of staff and abundance of risk.
P.S. If you’re having serious doubts about your IT security while you go through these tips, don’t just sit and worry! Reach out to Our Team for answers.
#CybersecurityAwarenessMonth Tips
#CSAM News
PegLeg is a wireless router and hard drive rolled into one small, subdermal device. Laufer and a small group of collaborators created it using less than $50 of hardware. It’s a little larger than a pack of gum, but once implanted it turns your body into a node of a local mesh network. Any Wi-Fi-enabled device can access the device’s network, and the implant can also mesh with other PegLegs to create what is, effectively, an internet of legs.
Cybersecurity Resources
Google’s Phishing Quiz
With over 90% of cyberattacks starting with a phishing email, Google is trying to do its part by creating a phishing quiz that you can use to test your employees, your IT staff, and even your CEO.
Get Cyber Safe Guide for SMBs
This is a very practical, step-by-step guide for any business owners who need some direction. It includes everything from wifi security measures to a questionnaire on your cybersecurity.
A study in 2012 found that 83% of small and medium businesses do not have a cyber security plan in place.
2012 NCSA/Symantec National Small Business Study
Cybersecurity Awareness Month Toolkit
The Canadian government provides a Cybersecurity Awareness Month Toolkit for people to use and share. It’s a very in-depth resource with videos, infographics, detailed blog posts, and statistics to encourage safety for consumers and SMBs.
FoxNet Safe Data Checklist
How you’re managing your data (both for your consumers and your business) is a huge part of cybersecurity. You can use our safe data checklist to identify any gaps or weak spots in your current infrastructure.
How to Report a Cyber Incident
In addition to trying to provide practical information about cybersecurity, the Canadian government also lists where and how to report a cyber incident including Spam, Fraud, Cybercrime, Child Exploitation, and Cyber threats to infrastructure, businesses, or governments.
National Initiative for Cybersecurity Careers and Studies Website
Similar to the Canadian government organizations, NICCS provides an entire website of studies, shareable graphics, training guides for business owners and employees, and even a cybersecurity trivia game to try to protect people beyond just installing and updating antivirus software.
The information is US-focused, but the practical tips are still very much applicable to Canadian businesses.
StaySafeOnline.org
This resource website is run by the US National Cyber Security Alliance and is kept up-to-date each year with resources focused on SMBs.
They also have a series of webinars that walk you through very specific scenarios, like what to what if you’ve been hacked and how to secure your companies social media accounts.
Need to stay up-to-date on IT? We have you covered:
