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This October is a great time to consider and discuss simple ways to protect your business online and in person.

About Cybersecurity Month

October was first declared Cybersecurity Awareness Month in 2004. Since then, the Cybersecurity Awareness Program (CISA) and the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) have collaborated to increase awareness and understanding about the cyber threats Americans face every day. They encourage everyone to focus on internet safety in the workplace and beyond.

The theme for this year is “See Yourself in Cyber.” Businesses are encouraged to have their employees participate and discover how they can protect themselves and their organization.

Learn more.

Key Efforts

The four primary areas that will be covered this October are:

• Enable Multi-Factor Authentication
• Use Strong Passwords
• Recognize and Report Phishing
• Update Your Software

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Organizations can encourage everyone who works for them to utilize MFA when logging in to third-party websites. When people are required to use an email or phone number to confirm they are the one requesting access, it reduces the risk of outsiders obtaining information about work-related accounts.

Strong Passwords: Your business can develop guidelines on how to create strong passwords that cannot be easily guessed or hacked.

Phishing. Many scammers use phishing techniques to get crucial information about businesses. They might send an email that appears to come from a trusted source or lead to a commonly used website, but the communication and sites are fake. If someone who works for you takes the bait, they could inadvertently provide classified data, download malware or cause other damage.

Update Software. October is an ideal time to remind your staff to make sure all the programs they use are up to date.

Other Ways To Protect Your Business

Throughout Cybersecurity Awareness Month, it’s a good idea to have meetings in which you share ideas on how to keep your company and staff safe from scammers, applicants with serious criminal convictions and other risks. You can cover a range of topics, such as:

• Making sure your team is aware of the dangers of social engineering attacks and how to avoid them.
• Ensuring your employees know how to handle personal data and keep it secure at all times.
• Running comprehensive background checks on potential employees, contractors and volunteers.
• Encouraging everyone who represents you to learn more about cybersecurity or having them take online courses.
• Implementing annual trainings to keep everyone current on the latest scams and other issues that could affect your business.

Hiring The Right People

It is critical for every organization to take reasonable steps to hire the right people. This can involve various things, including reviewing resumes, screening candidates, training employees on essential company policies and more.

If you need background checks as part of your due diligence process, please contact us. Our team can help you customize screening packages based on your specific needs, industry requirements and applicable laws. We are available to assist you Monday through Friday from 5am to 6pm PT.