The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) this week announced the launch of “Secure Our World,” a nationwide cybersecurity public awareness campaign to educate all Americans on how to stay safe online. The campaign includes a public service announcement (PSA) that will air on stations around the country, as well as digital content, a toolkit, and other resources. Recognizing that technology is an integral part of our modern lives, Congress tasked CISA with creating this program to provide small businesses, communities, and individuals with the guidance and tools they need to protect themselves online.
By equipping individuals, families, and businesses with the knowledge and resources needed to protect ourselves and our digital assets, the Secure Our World program promotes safe online practices as an everyday activity we should all adopt, especially when connected, and helps empower all of us to make informed decisions about our cyber habits. The Secure Our World program is focused on four simple steps everyone can take to stay safe online:
- Strong passwords: Use passwords that are long, random, and unique to each account, and use a password manager to generate them and to save them.
- Multifactor authentication: Use MFA for all accounts that offer it. We need more than a password to protect our most important data, including email, financial accounts, and social media.
- Recognize and report phishing: Think before you click! Be cautious of unsolicited emails, texts, or calls asking you for personal information. Resist the urge to click on these links and don't click on links or open attachments from unknown sources.
- Update software: Enable automatic updates on software so the latest security patches keep our devices continuously protected.
The Secure Our World program is a year-round, enduring effort to educate individuals and small to medium-sized businesses about how to stay secure online, and it provides resources to improve cybersecurity habits to increase resilience against cyber threats.
- For individuals and families, the Secure Our World program emphasizes the importance of securing personal accounts, offering guidance on personal device safety, safe internet browsing practices, social media usage, and protecting personal information online.
- Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) face unique challenges, so we are working to help them Secure Our World by offering tools and resources that can help boost SMBs’ cybersecurity defenses and minimizes the risk of data breaches or cyber-attacks, making not only our businesses, but our communities safer.
- Tech manufacturers can Secure Our World by implementing security features built-in by design. Default settings should have the highest security measures implemented, and individuals can manually bypass security features if they don’t want them. Users should not have to opt-in to necessary security measures.
The Secure Our World program leverages partnerships and collaborations with government, tribes, industry partners, and cybersecurity experts to ensure access to up-to-date resources such as guidance on personal device safety, safe internet browsing practices, social media usage, and protecting personal information online. We encourage everyone to explore resources to keep you and your family safe by visiting Secure Our World | CISA, following us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube, and using the hashtag #SecureOurWorld.
The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Citizens State Bank and its affiliates, and Citizens State Bank is not responsible for and does not verify the accuracy of any information contained in this article or items hyperlinked within. This is for informational purposes and is no way intended to provide legal advice.
