Introduction
October is here! And with it comes the celebration of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month was first observed in 2004 as a collaborative effort between the US government and industry to ensure that every citizen of the United States has the resources they need to stay safe and secure online.
The purpose of this month is to educate people on how to protect themselves from unsuspecting victims. This month also serves as a reminder for organizations to update their security measures before cyber criminals do it for them!
This year’s theme — “See Yourself in Cyber” — reminds us that while cybersecurity may seem complicated at first, it's really all about people.
We all want to feel safe and secure online—and now more than ever, we need to stay vigilant and aware of potential threats. In recent years, technology has evolved rapidly, and so have cybercrimes. Cyberattacks are rising yearly; whether ransomware attacks or spoofing attacks or phishing attacks.
How to Implement Cybersecurity Awareness Month in the Workplace?
Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a great time to think about how you can help make your employees and the people around you more aware of security. Here are some ways to get started:
- Find out what your employees need to know about cybersecurity.
- Ensure that your employees understand the company's cybersecurity policy.
- Set up a plan for ongoing training for your employees.
- Hold cybersecurity training every few months or atleast once a year.
- Begin educating new hires about cybersecurity during their onboarding process.
- Conduct Cybersecurity Evaluations by reviewing the systems, networks, protocols, and employee actions to determine the point of weaknesses.
- Revisit and update any policies related to WFH (Work from Home).
- Ensure that there are no unsecured devices connected to the network (such as wireless routers or printers)
- Delete and unsubscribe to any unused applications, software, and subscriptions. If you don’t use them, you don’t need to keep them. They can be an entry point for attackers to hack into your system.
- Don’t share your system’s passwords with your co-workers.
7 Cybersecurity Awareness Month Activities To Make Learning More Entertaining
Here are seven cybersecurity tips to help you get started on fostering a culture of security awareness in your organization.
1. Play a game of cybersecurity jeopardy.
Every week, assign a category to each team member—you might want to ask your employees for suggestions beforehand—and have them come up with questions on those topics. Then, have each team member write down their questions and bring them in for the game. Once you've got all the questions written down, cut them into strips of paper and put them in a bowl or bag so no one knows which question they're going to get. Have each person pick a strip of paper out of the bowl or bag at random, then see who can answer the most questions correctly!
2. Host a cybersecurity seminar.
Hosting a seminar or webinar is another great way to both teach your employees about cybersecurity and allow them time to interact with experts who can answer questions on the topic. Try posting flyers around the office or sending out an email blast announcing the event so everyone knows it's happening!
3. Organize a hackathon.
A hackathon is an event where teams compete to build the best product or service, often within a short period of time. It's not just for software developers—you can use a hackathon to teach employees how to identify and prevent cyberattacks, too!
4. Conduct mock phishing drills.
Create a persuasive phishing email and send it to every person in the organization. It’s like catching fish without bait! Employees will learn how easy it is for hackers to trick them into clicking on malicious links and attachments, which can lead to malware infection or data theft. This will also help them understand how important cybersecurity awareness is for everyone, not just IT professionals.
5. Organize a bug bounty event.
If your company doesn't already have one, you can host a bug bounty event where employees can submit bugs they find in your system and get rewarded for it. This will encourage them to keep on their toes when it comes to security and ensure that there are no vulnerabilities on your systems.
6. Put together a scavenger hunt.
It's easy to get bored with traditional training, so why not liven things up with a fun scavenger hunt? On the hunt, you can task your employees to find answers to questions about cybersecurity and digital privacy. You can even make it a competition by issuing points for each answer or having teams compete against each other.
7. Revisit your breach readiness plan.
A breach readiness plan is a document that outlines what to do if your company experiences a data breach. If you haven't already done so, now is the time to revisit your plan and train employees about it. By making sure everyone knows how to respond when something like this happens, you'll be able to minimize the damage done by cyber criminals and ensure that your business continues operating smoothly after an attack occurs.
In Conclusion
You don’t have to be a security expert to celebrate Cybersecurity Awareness Month—you just have to care about keeping your company safe! October is a great opportunity to implement strategies, ideas, and planning that will help you introduce better ways to maintain organizational resilience. Have a good month :)
