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October might be better known for Halloween or noticing the weather warming up as we leave winter behind, but for the cyber security community, it’s important for another reason. That’s because each October is Cyber Security Awareness month in Australia and New Zealand.

What is cyber security month all about?

The aim of the annual cyber security month each October is to educate businesses and their customers about the basics of cyber security. It’s also a good time to highlight new developments and scams that are circulating.

For businesses, it’s a good time to set aside a few hours each week to assess, update and improve your current cyber security practices.

Why does it matter?

According to the Australian Cyber Security Centre, Australians reported a cyber-attack once every 8 minutes last year. And the attacks that are successful cost businesses millions of dollars, not to mention the stress and lost time that comes from trying to fix the problem. That means that it is statistically likely that your cyber security will be tested at some point in the near future, if it hasn’t been already.

And when that test comes, you want your systems and processes to pass with flying colours. Let’s look at some practical ways you can do that. 

What are we trying to protect against?

Let’s focus on two common threats that the following actions will help fortify your business against.

The first threat is malware. Malware is a shortened version of the phrase ‘malicious software’. It’s a computer program designed to cause harm by stealing your information, data or money. It might do this by stealing your passwords or identity. There are plenty types of malware, from the viruses you might have heard about to ransomware, trojans and worms.

The second common type of threat is phishing. These are email messages that use psychology and social engineering techniques to trick victims into sharing sensitive information or into installing malware onto an internet connected device.

What are some simple actions you can take today to improve the cyber security of your business?

1. The simplest thing you can do for your business is to keep your software and operating systems updated. Software is made up of millions of lines of code. Occasionally, that code leaves a ‘weak point’ for hackers to exploit. But software providers work hard to ‘patch’ these weak points. They roll out these fixes by providing updates to users of their software. These updates can be regular or periodic, and attempt to block off known security vulnerabilities. A system administrator should update all company machines and devices at least once a week if not on demand when patches are available.
2. Enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) or two factor authentication (2FA) is also a simple, practical step to drastically improve cyber security. It simply refers to the process of needing two types of authentications before a user can log in to an account. That might be a combination of any of:
   * A PIN number
   * A passwordA fingerprint
   * A specific phrase
   * Or a temporary passcode sent to the users’ mobile phone number.
3. Backing up devices is the best ‘insurance policy’ you can buy against loss of data. Backing up devices and business critical information in the cloud or on external hard drives or servers doesn’t just protect against cyber attacks, it also protects against natural disasters, power surges and water damage to physical machines.

Where can I find more trusted resources about cyber security?

CyberUnlocked can be your first point of call for a range of options to improve the cyber security of your business. These include:

• A facilitated, in-depth training session with your team.
• A ‘point in time’ cyber security audit to understand your existing systems and processes and identify any weak points or areas for improvement.
• An annual ‘health check’ and cyber audit to ensure that your IT systems and processes are in good working order, and evolving to respond to any new threats that might have emerged.

If you want to get your cyber security in the best shape possible this October during cyber security month then we would be delighted to help.