One sentence summary – October 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an initiative launched by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance to empower Americans with knowledge to stay safe online, with this year’s campaign focusing on the evolution of security education and awareness and emphasizing measures such as updating software regularly, recognizing and reporting phishing attempts, enabling multi-factor authentication, using strong passwords, and employing password managers, while a Zero Trust approach is gaining traction among organizations to fortify cyber resilience and minimize attack surfaces.
At a glance
- October 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
- The initiative was launched by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance.
- The goal is to empower Americans with the knowledge to stay safe and secure online.
- This year’s campaign theme is “20 Years of Cybersecurity Awareness Month” and focuses on the evolution of security education and awareness.
- The campaign emphasizes updating software, recognizing phishing attempts, enabling multi-factor authentication, using strong passwords, and employing password managers as crucial cybersecurity measures.
The details
October 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
This initiative was launched by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance.
The goal of Cybersecurity Awareness Month is to empower Americans with the knowledge to stay safe and secure online.
This year’s campaign theme is “20 Years of Cybersecurity Awareness Month”.
The theme focuses on the evolution of security education and awareness.
To promote better cybersecurity practices, the campaign emphasizes several crucial measures.
Firstly, updating software regularly is highlighted as a key preventive measure against cyber threats.
Additionally, recognizing and reporting phishing attempts is emphasized.
Enabling multi-factor authentication is also stressed as an effective way to enhance online security.
Using strong passwords is another measure that is highlighted.
Employing password managers is also emphasized as an effective way to enhance online security.
Credential harvesting campaigns and credential stuffing attacks are common methods employed by hackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data and infrastructure.
It is worth noting that stolen or compromised credentials account for 15% of data breaches.
This makes it a significant initial attack vector.
Despite increased advocacy for strong password policies and multi-factor authentication, many users still rely on weak passwords.
Many users also reuse passwords across multiple accounts.
This vulnerability exposes individuals and organizations to unnecessary risks.
To address this, a Zero Trust approach is gaining traction among organizations as a means to fortify cyber resilience.
Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solutions are being implemented to augment traditional network access security methods.
These solutions grant access based on various factors such as the device in use, device posture, access request timestamp, and geolocation.
When selecting ZTNA solutions, organizations should prioritize resilience.
Visibility is another factor organizations should prioritize when selecting ZTNA solutions.
Alignment with Security Service Edge (SSE) architecture plans should also be a priority.
Employee experience should be considered when selecting ZTNA solutions.
Adherence to NIST Zero Trust Architecture should also be a priority when selecting ZTNA solutions.
Organizations must break free from password dependency.
Solutions like ZTNA should be considered to minimize their attack surface.
These solutions can also ensure the security of their remote workforce.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month serves as a reminder of the importance of staying vigilant.
It also serves as a reminder of the importance of staying up-to-date.
Finally, it serves as a reminder of the importance of staying informed about evolving cyber threats and best practices to mitigate them effectively.
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| securityweek.com |
|---|
| – October marks the 20th anniversary of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an initiative launched by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance. – |
| The goal of Cybersecurity Awareness Month is to empower Americans with knowledge to stay safe and secure online. – |
| This year’s campaign theme is “20 Years of Cybersecurity Awareness Month” and focuses on the evolution of security education and awareness. – |
| The campaign emphasizes crucial cybersecurity practices such as updating software, recognizing and reporting phishing attempts, enabling multi-factor authentication, using strong passwords, and employing password managers. – Credential harvesting campaigns and credential stuffing attacks are common methods used by hackers to gain access to sensitive data and infrastructure. – Stolen or compromised credentials are the most common initial attack vector, accounting for 15% of data breaches. – |
| Despite advocacy for strong password policies and multi-factor authentication, many users still rely on weak passwords or reuse them across multiple accounts. |
| – A Zero Trust approach, which establishes identity- and context-based access boundaries, is being embraced by organizations to fortify their cyber resilience. |
| – Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solutions are being used to augment traditional network access security methods. |
| – ZTNA solutions grant access based on factors such as device in use, device posture, access request timestamp, and geolocation. |
| – When selecting ZTNA solutions, it is important to prioritize resilience, visibility, alignment with Security Service Edge (SSE) architecture plans, employee experience, and adherence to NIST Zero Trust Architecture. – Organizations must break free from password dependency and consider solutions like ZTNA to minimize their attack surface and ensure the security of their remote workforce. |
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