It's that time of year again - ghosts, goblins, and witches show up at parties, in your office decorations and all over your TV. With Halloween around the corner and pumpkin spice recipes flooding your timeline, you can feel autumn is in the air. Even though there may be things that go 'bump' in the night this spooky season, cybersecurity doesn't have to be scary.
Each October, we commemorate National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM), a time where we learn more about cybersecurity best practices and also encourage others to be safer online. Here are some spooky cybersecurity myths and how to break them in your own lives.
Myth: Passwords don't matter in the end.
Truth: Passwords definitely matter, and multi-factor authentication and password managers are good tools to further protect your accounts. Visit https://www.lockdownyourlogin.org/ for more information on multi-factor authentication.
Myth: Cybersecurity jobs are only for those with a computer science or math degree.
Truth: Cybersecurity jobs are for everyone, regardless of what you may have studied in college. To learn more about cybersecurity careers in your area and ways to get started no matter where you are in your career or education, visit https://niccs.us-cert.gov/.
Myth: There is no way to protect yourself from cyber criminals.
Truth: Oftentimes, simple proactive steps toward better cybersecurity in your life can be your best and easiest defense against cyber criminals. Just like the legend states that a vampire cannot come into your home unless invited, do not invite cyber criminals into your life even inadvertently. Do not give away personally identifiable information online or over the phone unless you verify that you are communicating with a reputable source or business. Hover over all links in emails to ensure that the link goes to the correct website before clicking on them.
Myth: You can update the software on your technology whenever your feel like it. There's no rush.
Truth: Make sure you turn on auto updates or update your system and applications as soon as the notifications pop up. Updates help not only make your apps often look more visually appealing, but updates also patch systems from known vulnerabilities, so it is important to stay on top of these notifications.