CHICAGO – As a member of the House Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, & IT Committee, State Representative Brad Stephens (R-Rosemont) is encouraging cyber awareness and safety during Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Since 2004, the President and United States Congress have declared October as Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) also lead an effort to raise awareness nationally.
“In today’s world, it’s imperative to prioritize cybersecurity in all aspects of our life technology touches,” said Rep. Stephens. “I encourage all my constituents to refresh themselves on steps they can take to protect themselves and their loved ones in our online world and prevent cyberattack in their personal and professional lives.”
The campaign theme for this year is “See Yourself in Cyber” and will focus on the “people” part of cybersecurity. It will provide resources and information to help educate the public and ensure all individuals make smart decisions at work, home, and school. CISA and NCA recommend this October these key action steps everyone should take: enabling multi-factor authentication, using strong passwords, recognizing and reporting phishing, and updating your software.
CISA stated online that one in three homes that have computers are infected with malicious software. Additionally, 47% of American adults had personal information exposed by cyber criminals.
According to the National Cybersecurity Alliance, online safety basics include keeping a clean machine, using long and unique passwords, using a password manager, thinking before you click, using secure WiFi, and backing your work up among other tips. Individuals can find more information online at StaySafeOnline.org.