Good Morning!
Welcome to week one of National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2020. This year’s theme is “Do Your Part. #BeCyber Smart” and this week’s focus is, “If You Connect It, Protect It.” As members of USCYBERCOM we’re consummate professionals well versed in the challenges of cyberspace. However, we may do risky things at home that we’d never consider doing at work. Download software from new or unknown sites. Click on a file or link from someone who doesn’t normally email or instant message. Loading ‘free’ apps onto our smart phones. Use free Wi-Fi or hotspot at coffee shops, airports, or hotels while traveling.
In the ever-expanding Internet of Things (IoT), life is more connected in ways we don’t fully realize. From phones to door bells, air conditioning to coffee makers (Coffee Machine Hit by Ransomware Attack—Yes, You Read That Right) everything is rapidly becoming linked through cyberspace. The more things are connected the easier it is for the bad guys to get to us and our families. Nanny cams have been hacked with loved ones spied on, or home cameras compromised allowing thieves to know the best time to break in. But with a little time and knowledge, we can minimize our own vulnerabilities. Remember, if you connect it, and that’s anything to a network, protect it!
Over the next few weeks we’ll look at ways, by developing simple habits, that we can all keep ourselves, and our families, safe and cyber smart. For now, just think about all the tech in your lives and look closely at the possible risks taken while going about daily cyber life.
We'll connect more later this week!