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National Security Awareness Month

Security

Cybersecurity Awareness Month - October 2024

It's Easy to Stay Safe Online

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a global effort to help everyone stay safe and protected when using technology whenever and however you connect. The theme for the month is "Secure our World" and all of the University of Colorado campuses are proud to be a Champion and support this online safety and education initiative again in 2024.

Cybersecurity has become one of the biggest hot topics both inside and outside of technology circles over the last two years. From securing learning devices due to a rise in digital learning, to coping with the fallout of high-profile breaches. It can be easy for us to become overwhelmed and to feel powerless by the threats posed by cybersecurity. But nothing could be further from the truth. Some have a misperception that cybersecurity is beyond everyday people and that it should be left to the professionals. Some people may believe that breaches are simply a fact of life and that we should just learn to deal with them. But this just isn’t true. As everyday technology users, we have a key role to play in cybersecurity threat prevention, detection, and remediation.

Throughout October, CU raises awareness on key best practices that we can implement today to enhance cybersecurity and create a more secure world for everyone.

Tip 1: Recognize phishing, which is still among the primary threats from cybercriminals

Phishing – when a cybercriminal poses as a legitimate party in hopes of getting individuals to engage with malicious content or links – remains one of the most popular tactics among cybercriminals today. However, while phishing has gotten more sophisticated, keeping an eye out for typos, poor graphics and other suspicious characteristics can be a telltale sign that the content is potentially coming from a phishing scam.


 

Download the PDF here: NCSAMPhishing2022_PDF.pdf

Tip 2: Know the classification and sensitivity of the CU information you manage and how to keep it safe

Classifying or labeling CU information helps determine the security requirements necessary to keep it safe. Information classified as Highly Confidential and Confidential must be protected from compromise, such as unauthorized or accidental access, use, modification, destruction, or disclosure.

What type of information do you manage?


 

Download the PDF here: WhatinformationandDatashouldyouSafeguard_PDF.pdf

Tip 3: Create strong, unique passwords and changing them regularly

Having unique, strong, and complex passwords is one of the best ways to immediately boost your cybersecurity. Password cracking is one of the go-to tactics that cybercriminals use to access confidential information. And if you are a “password repeater,” once a cybercriminal has compromised one of your accounts, they can easily do the same across all your accounts.


 

Download the PDF here: PasswordManagers_CAM_Week_PDF.pdf

Tip 4: Enable multi-factor authentication on personal devices

Enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) – which prompts you to input a second set of verifying information such as a secure code sent to a mobile device or to sign-in via an authenticator app – is a hugely effective measure that anyone can use to drastically reduce the chances of a cybersecurity incident.

Learn about MFA and why it’s important to both work and personal devices and accounts.


 

Download the PDF here: MFA_CAM_Week_pdf.pdf

Visit the CISA web page for more tips!

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is a great resource to get some more basic tips on how to keep your day to day use of the internet more secure.

Information Security