October is time for Halloween, Pumpkin Spiced Lattes, and Cybersecurity Awareness Month! Have you ever wondered why there are so many quirky holidays? National Talk Like Shakespeare Day is celebrated on April 23rd for example. There's also Squirrel Appreciation Day which is on January 21st. It may seem confusing, but this just goes to show how diverse our culture really is! While it may seem like some of these holidays are a bit silly, one of them is pretty important: an entire month dedicated to cybersecurity. Now that’s a topic worthy of a holiday!
Cybersecurity Awareness Month was created by the Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance in October of 2003. It was launched in an effort to help Americans to be safe in the rapidly growing Internet. Since its inception, the month has only grown more important as our lives become increasingly digitized. Many high-ranking US officials have been a part of the event including former DHS Secretaries and former Presidents. We are only one of many industry participants who are taking this month to educate our community on the importance of cybersecurity. College campuses, non-profits, and other organizations frequently join in on the fun as well. Ekaru is proud to be an official champion of Cybersecurity Awareness Month!
Why is Cybersecurity Awareness so important? Here are a few important statistics from The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency
- 169 million personal records exposed from financial, business, education, healthcare, & public sectors in 2015.
- 66% of small businesses rely on the Internet but only 23% have an Internet security policy.
- 594 million people are affected globally by cybercrime each year.
- 24 billion or more internet-connected devices will be installed globally by 2020.
- 295 cyber incidents targeting critical infrastructure in 2015.
Some of these government statistics reach back a few years, and the situation is only getting worse! Do your part. #BeCyberSmart.
This October, we will be participating in Cybersecurity Awareness Month in a big way. For all 31 days of the month, we will be giving you easy-to-use tips on how to build up your personal and business cybersecurity. Each one of these tips will bring you new tools and ideas for protecting yourself online and will help you build a fortress of digital protections around yourself. Also, stay tuned for weekly blog posts that will give you even more information on how to stay safe online. Make sure that you’re following us on social media so you don’t miss out on any of the cybersecurity tips we have in October.
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/ekaru
- https://www.facebook.com/Ekaru/
- https://twitter.com/ekaruIT
- https://www.youtube.com/ekaruIT
Do your part. #BeCyberSmart.