October is Cyber Security Awareness Month to help people get treats, not tricks.
National Cyber Security Awareness Month is now underway for October, and this year’s message, more than ever, has a focus on mobile security as well as on protecting computers and other devices from viruses, breaches and attacks.
While Halloween decorations can make this month spooky, even scarier are the digital threats we face.
Unfortunately, those cyber and mobile security threats are dangers that we face with every passing day and aren’t only limited to a single day or month. As the range of connected devices that we use on a regular basis continues to grow, it also expands the chances that we have of experiencing an attack on our identities, finances, or simply having infections move into the gadgets to cause them to behave strangely, freeze, or infect the devices of other people we know. Cyber crime is an ever widening threat and many people aren’t aware of how great the risks actually are.
While mobile security is becoming more important, it isn’t taken nearly as seriously as it should.
Following some high profile cyber attacks that have been occurring against companies and even government organizations that had previously had a relatively impenetrable reputation, people are just starting to see the importance of making some additional efforts to protect themselves against cybercriminals.
Unfortunately, for most people, the efforts that are being made simply aren’t enough. Many people may have added a password to their devices so that they must log in before they can access its contact lists, texts, apps, and other data, but that seems to be the full extent of the steps that have been taken in the majority of cases. Additional protection such as antivirus software, and functions that can permanently lock out and automatically erase devices that have been stolen have not been added to most smartphones.
Cyber Security Awareness Month is being held by the National Cyber Security Alliance and the hope is that they will be able to better reach people in order to take proper steps to establish adequate mobile security and online protection efforts.
