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Securing Our Nation’s Critical Infrastructure Is Everyone’s Responsibility

Securing Our Nation’s Critical Infrastructure Is Everyone’s Responsibility

In Week 4 of #CyberAware Month we’re emphasizing the importance of securing our critical infrastructure and highlighting the roles the public can play in keeping it safe.

A nation-wide pizza chain made news in 2018 by announcing a new contest: nominate your town for pothole repair. The very endearing marketing tactic asked customers around the country to explain why their town deserves a little roadway TLC in order to keep pizzas from bouncing around the car on the way to their tables. One winner would be chosen, and the chain would fund pothole repair for that city.

As fun as that sounds, maintaining and protecting our infrastructure isn’t a game, especially when it comes to the real threat of cyber attacks. These coordinated attacks can disable anything from our power grid, telecommunications and E-911 systems, water supply and sewage and more. Taking down even one of these vital utilities with a cyber attack would have devastating consequences while targeting more than one system could cripple entire sections of the country.

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, a project hosted by StaySafeOnline. This year’s theme is “Our Shared Responsibility,” and each weekly theme focuses on how consumers, businesses, and stakeholders can play key roles in protecting against hacking, data breaches, and other related crimes.

But how are members of the public supposed to prevent a large-scale hacking event that aims infrastructure? It’s one thing to update your home computer’s antivirus or log out of your sensitive accounts when you’re not using them, but those behaviors will hardly stop highly-skilled operatives from threatening a country’s water supply.

Or can they? Can the security behaviors you adopt prevent the next widespread cybercrime? StaySafeOnline certainly thinks so, and will offer crucial information to the public on ways that they can take an active role in securing our country’s infrastructure: “Our day-to-day life depends on the country’s 16 sectors of critical infrastructure, which supply food, water, financial services, public health, communications and power along with other networks and systems. A disruption to this system, which is operated via the internet, can have significant and even catastrophic consequences for our nation.”

One of the most obvious ways that consumers can protect these necessary resources starts with protecting their own networks. Your home computer, your smartphone, and your Internet-of-Things connected devices are all sources of potential vulnerabilities. If you’re in any way connected to the public utilities—even theoretically something as mundane as paying your electric or water bill online—it could result in fraudulent access to the utilities if hackers gain access through your computer.

By securing your own devices and networks first, you’re possibly preventing a cybercriminal from compromising your device and using that connection to gain access to a “bigger fish.” Third-party attacks, commonly associated with small businesses who have connections to larger corporations, are a recognized avenue of attack. The Black Friday data breach that affected Target in 2013, for example, was eventually traced back to a third-party vendor who worked on the refrigeration units for a small number of Target locations.

Safeguarding your own network and devices is always a smart thing to do, and it can prevent a lot of headaches for you down the road. In today’s connected digital climate; however, your own security steps just might protect us all.

Contact the Identity Theft Resource Center for toll-free, no-cost assistance at (888) 400-5530. For on-the-go assistance, check out the free ID Theft Help App from ITRC.

Read next: The Harm in Hoaxes on Social Media

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We Need More CyberHeroes

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and there’s no bigger “holiday” for those who work in information technology, digital safety and tech security. Okay, that might be a tiny exaggeration; However, it is safe to say this: cybersecurity professionals keep our internet and networks safe from hacking, data breaches, scams and fraud, and there simply aren’t enough cyberheroes doing the job.

Just in 2017, data breaches hit a new record high of 1,579 breaches, indicating a drastic upturn of 44.7 percent increase over the record high figures the year before. Fortunately, there’s never been a better time to pursue a career in computer security or data protection. The theme for week two of NCSAM is to highlight the intense need for highly-skilled, dedicated professionals who are interested in the landscape of modern crime and warfare known as our computers and the internet.

But who has the chance to become a superhero? Anyone! Only two years ago, there were an estimated one million unfilled jobs in the U.S. in the cybersecurity field, and that number is expected to be 3.5 million by 2021. There has never been a better time to consider this field, and there may have never been a more critical need than right now.

1. Middle school and high school – It’s never too early to begin learning about data breaches, information technology, cybersecurity and other tech-related subjects. Unfortunately, you’d be hard-pressed to find more than a few high schools even offering this type of course. There are some really dynamic online sources for teens, though, and the first step is simply to get students interested in the field and talking about the subject.

2. College and career – More and more colleges are offering cybersecurity degrees, and many of those schools even offer a fully online bachelor’s degree in the field (after all, you’re going to be working online a lot, you might as well earn your degree that way!). The programs have grown in number to the point that multiple sources have already ranked colleges’ and universities’ cybersecurity degree programs according to best value, best education, highest number of graduates working in their field and more.

3. Returning learners – For one reason or another, the average person changes careers between five and seven times during the span of their work life. Some of the reasons include better pay or benefits, more flexibility, a lack of opportunity in their previous field, or simply the chance to reinvent themselves after years in a fulfilling career. Cybersecurity is relatively new, it’s constantly evolving, it’s an incredibly high demand, and for some, it’s a job that a professional could do as a freelancer or from home. All of those factors make cybersecurity and information technology exciting possibilities for older, non-traditional or returning students.

No matter why you consider the cybersecurity field, there’s never been a better time to take on the challenge. It’s a widely recognized and highly sought after area of study while also serving the greater good and protecting the public. (The $100,000+ average annual salary doesn’t hurt, either.) If you’re looking for an exciting opportunity that can offer you variety mixed with longevity, talk to a college, university or career counselor about cybersecurity.

Contact the Identity Theft Resource Center for toll-free, no-cost assistance at (888) 400-5530. For on-the-go assistance, check out the free ID Theft Help App from ITRC.

Read next: Our Shared Responsibility Begins at Home

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“Our Shared Responsibility” Begins at Home

National CyberSecurity Awareness Month, an annual cybersecurity experience hosted by Stay Safe Online, has officially kicked off its 15th year. This October event, which brings together stakeholders from every level of online security, is geared towards everyone from top-tier cybercrime analysts to the most vulnerable everyday internet users. The goal remains the same each year: to ensure that the most up-to-date information on cybersecurity is accessible to all users and is at the forefront of their tech decision-making.

This year’s month-long theme is “Our Shared Responsibility,” but the focus of week one is how cybersecurity begins at home. Lessons on every aspect of our physical and emotional safety begin with those who care about us the most, and internet safety is no different. Creating an environment of secure internet access and understanding leads to life-long Cyber Aware users.

To know what lessons to impart, parents and other caregivers need to understand the changing needs for all users within the home. Young children might only enjoy a few minutes of screen time on a tablet with specifically chosen apps, while older teens gain more and more responsibility—and exposure—through social media, browsing, the “latest” app that everyone’s talking about, and more.

At every age and for every user in a household, the privacy and security pitfalls can change. That’s why it’s essential to remain in the know about the kinds of cybersecurity issues that different people may face:

  1. Young children – For most youngsters, it may be up to Mom and Dad to enter their information into an age-appropriate account, so it’s also up to the parents to understand what information they’re sharing, what permissions they’re granting, and where that information can end up. Understanding what kinds of data breaches have taken place in the past can also help, such as the VTech breach or ones involving public schools and doctors’ offices.
  1. Preteens and Tweens – Every generation has thought that kids were growing up too fast these days, but when it comes to technology—especially unsupervised access to it—that may be truer now more than ever before. The average age for US kids to get their first smartphone is now ten years old, and that can mean unprecedented access to the internet, downloadable apps, social media, and more.
  1. Teens and Young Adults – One of the most commonly associated cybersecurity issues for young adults is probably cyberbullying, especially on social media, but that’s just one of the many dangers this age group can face. While it’s important to discuss proper behavior online as well as what to do if they’re targeted, it’s also vital that parents discuss scams, fraud, identity theft, hoaxes, and more. One staggering statistic, for example, has shown that senior citizens may be more likely to be targeted by a scammer, but Millennials are the ones who lose more money to online scams and fraud.

No matter what age your family members may be, NCSAM is an excellent time to explore your privacy, security, and overall digital safety.

Contact the Identity Theft Resource Center for toll-free, no-cost assistance at (888) 400-5530. For on-the-go assistance, check out the free ID Theft Help App from ITRC.

Read next: The Harm in Hoaxes on Social Media

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