National Cyber Security Awareness Month

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement/Office of Domestic Security has prepared information on how you can contribute to Cyber Security. October marks the 6th annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month sponsored by Homeland Security and has the theme of “Our Shared Responsibility”.
The idea is to reinforce the message that all computer users have a responsibility to practice good “cyber hygiene” to protect themselves.

They have issued the steps that you can take to keep safe online by keeping your personal assets and information secure as well as those of your clients/customers. Here are some of the key points from their list:

Make sure that you have anti-virus software and firewalls installed, properly configured, and up-to-date. New threats are discovered every day, and keeping your software updated is one of the easier ways to protect yourself from an attack. Set your computer to automatically update for you.

Update your operating system and critical program software. Software updates offer the latest protection against malicious activities. Turn on automatic updating if that feature is available.

Back up key files. If you have important files stored on your computer, copy them onto a removable disc and store it in a safe place.

Create a section for cybersecurity on your organization's Web site. Download banners at www.staysafeonline.org and post them on your organization's home page.

Find out what more you can do to secure cyberspace and how you can share this with others.

Print and post these cybersecurity tips near your computer and network printers.

Use regular communications in your business—newsletters, e-mail alerts, Web sites, etc.—to increase awareness on issues like updating software processes, protecting personal identifiable information, and securing your wireless network.

For more information on Awareness Month and for additional material, please visit www.us-cert.gov and www.staysafeonline.org/ncsam.