Quick Links: Be Cyber Smart  |  Fight the Phish  |  Explore. Experience. Share.  |  Cybersecurity First

Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) is back this October for its 18th year to educate the Nation about cybersecurity and how everyone can be safer online. The nationwide initiative provides a great opportunity each year to evaluate the cybersecurity culture of your company and how you can share your knowledge and resources with your customers and community. We are proud to support this far-reaching online safety awareness and education initiative which is co-led by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and the  Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

As an NCSAM Champion, SBS will be sharing a variety of cybersecurity downloads, blog posts, and tips. Be sure to follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, and join our mailing list so you don't miss any updates!

Hacker Hour: Make the Most of Cybersecurity Awareness Month

Description: Join SBS as we discuss the resources you can utilize to bring attention to cybersecurity awareness, in turn reducing cyber risk for your organization, your customers, and your business partners.

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Download: Security Awareness Toolkit

NCSAM is a great reminder to refocus on cybersecurity awareness, but education needs to take place throughout the year to be fully effective. Use this toolkit as a guide to help you easily build and share a strong cybersecurity culture - all year long. Training and education of not only your employees, but also your customers, is a key component to building a cybersecurity culture. It helps establish trust that your organization takes cybersecurity seriously and that you’re committed to doing what’s best for your employees and your customers. We have assembled a variety of ideas in this guide for easy access to grab and go security awareness resources!

Download your toolkit!

OnCourse Learning - Cybersecurity: 10 Webinar Bundle

SBS CyberSecurity regularly hosts webinars in partnership with OnCourse Learning. In recognition of NCSAM, a new webinar bundle of 10 cybersecurity-related webinars has been released at a discounted price of $1895 (a $2,950 value)! Each webinar is 1.5 to 2 hours in length. Registrations include twelve months of OnDemand playback. The bundle includes the following SBS webinars:

• Phishing 101: How Employees are Targets
• Incident Response: Plan to Fail Well
• Responsibilities of the Information Security Officer
• Third Party and Fourth Party Management
• 25 Baseline Controls Banks Struggle to Implement
• FFIEC Information Security Handbook Review
• What Directors Need to Know About Cybersecurity
• SSAE18, SOC 1, SOC 2: What Do I Need?
• Today's Ransomware Threat, Don't Lose Your Data (And Yoru Business)
• Testing Your Information Security Program in 2021

Read full webinar descriptions or purchase. 
 

Week 1: Be Cyber Smart

As our lives have become increasingly dependent on technology, virtually all personal and business data is kept on internet-connected platforms, which can become a gold mine for bad actors. The first full week of Cybersecurity Awareness Month will highlight best security practices and focus on general cyber hygiene to keep your information safe. Own your role in cybersecurity by starting with the basics. Creating strong passwords and using multi-factor authentication, backing up your data, and updating your software are great places to start. This is a great way to Do Your Part #BeCyberSmart!

Did you know?

• As of 2021, there is a ransomware attack every 11 seconds, up from 39 in 2019.
• 43% of cyber attacks target small businesses, and they have grown 400% since the beginning of the pandemic.

SBS Resources:

• {Download} Security Awareness Toolkit: Use this toolkit as a guide to help you easily build and share a strong cybersecurity culture. Training and education of not only your employees, but also your customers, is a key component to building a cybersecurity culture. It helps establish trust that your organization takes cybersecurity seriously and that you’re committed to doing what’s best for your employees and your customers. We have assembled a variety of ideas in this guide for easy access to grab and go security awareness resources!
   
• {Download} Cybersecurity Tips: A security program is only as strong as its weakest link. SBS strongly believes in the power of education and security awareness training when it comes to a strong information security program. Share these cybersecurity tip graphics with your employees and customers to keep security top of mind. TIP! Choose a different tip each month to set as your background image on your computer for a daily cyber reminder.
   
• {Blog} Should I Test Employee Security Awareness?: The goal of Security Awareness Training should be similar to coaching T-ball. As IS professionals, we should understand that the audience is not full of security experts, and we need to provide basic knowledge and appropriate action to take when faced with an incident, and we also need to repeatedly test the effectiveness of the training program. Unlike T-ball, however, we need to keep score; not to shame an employee but to measure our coaching.

Week 2: Fight the Phish

Phishing attacks and scams have thrived since the COVID pandemic began in 2020 and today, phishing attacks account for more than 80 percent of reported security incidents.  Week 2 of Cybersecurity Awareness Month will stress the importance of being wary of emails, text messages or chat boxes that come from a stranger or someone you were not expecting. Think before you click on any suspicious emails, links or attachments and make sure to report any suspicious emails if you can!

Did you know?

• Overall, the first half of 2021 shows a 22% increase in the volume of phishing attacks over the same time period last year.
• During the first quarter of 2021, 24.9% of phishing attacks worldwide were directed towards financial institutions. On top of that, social media accounted for 23.6 percent of attacks making these two the highest targeted industries when it came to phishing during this period.

SBS Resources:

Click on the image to download your security awareness poster.

• {Download} Password Tips: It’s important to create strong, complex passwords for your systems. That’s why we’ve put together these best methods for stronger passwords to help you train your employees. Keep in mind, though, that based on the risk of each system, these standards may fluctuate.
   
• ​{Solution} KnowBe4: Your employees are frequently exposed to sophisticated phishing and ransomware attacks in today’s world. This is why SBS has partnered with KnowBe4 to offer the world’s most popular integrated platform for awareness training combined with simulated phishing attacks.

 Week 3: Explore. Experience. Share - Cybersecurity Career Awareness Week

Week 3 of Cybersecurity Awareness Month will highlight the Cybersecurity Career Awareness Week led by National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE). This is a week-long campaign that inspires and promotes the exploration of cybersecurity careers. Whether it’s students, veterans, or those seeking a career change, the dynamic field of cybersecurity is rapidly growing and has something for everyone

Did you know?

• The cybersecurity unemployment rate has been at 0% since 2011.
• A Forbes HR Council post observes that 74 percent of companies recently surveyed said that the skills shortage is impacting their business, including the ability to keep their information secure.

SBS Resources:

• {Blog} A Day in the Life: Working in Cybersecurity: If you’ve ever wondered what a day in the life of a cybersecurity professional is like, look no further. We sat down with five cybersecurity employees to find out what motivates them daily.
   
• {Download} 5 Key Questions to Consider When Researching a vCISO Solution: Consistent breaches, demand for information security consulting, and a limited supply of qualified specialists all support the idea of outsourcing the key information security officer position as a viable option. This guide outlines questions to ask when researching a vCISO solution. Plus, get an insider’s list of questions for potential providers.
   
• {Service} Cybersecurity Partnership/vCSIO: Gain a trusted cybersecurity adviser who can keep you informed and help you adjust to changing regulations or potential incidents with a CyberSecurity Partnership (CSP) program or Virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO) custom engagement.
   
• CybHER Program: CybHER’s mission is to empower, motivate, educate, and change the perception of girls and women in cybersecurity. By providing resources for girls from middle school through collegiate programs and into professional careers, CybHER will allow women to foster positive and encouraging relationships within this industry through original and curated content that educates and motivates women. Ultimately, CybHER's goal is to increase diversity by introducing more girls to cybersecurity, who will then transition to women in collegiate programs, and finally highly trained professionals. While the mission is to promote STEM and technology for females, CybHER is open to everyone.

 Week 4: Cybersecurity First

Week 4 is all about making security a priority. For businesses, this means building security into products and processes. Make cybersecurity training a part of employee onboarding and equip staff with the tools they need to keep the organization safe. For individuals, keep cybersecurity at the forefront of your mind as you connect daily. Before purchasing a device or online product, do your research. When you set up a new device or app, consider your security and privacy settings and update default passwords. Cybersecurity should not be an afterthought. 

Did you know?

• Routers are the most targeted IoT devices since they act as gateways for smart devices to connect with the Internet. Compromising just one router gives hackers access to any unsecure device that uses it. 
• Only 48% of businesses can detect if any of their IoT devices have suffered a breach.

​SBS Resources:

• {Download} Essential Cybersecurity Best Practices: The continued development of the internet has put the world at anyone’s fingertips, which has made protecting personal information much more critical. With the constant development of new technology, comes massive innovation, and nonetheless, massive vulnerabilities. Due to these vulnerabilities, breaches and security implications by digital attacks are becoming far too common in today’s fast-paced, technology-ruled world. As a result, innocent people are frequently becoming the victims of identity theft, phishing scams, and many other digital crimes. In order to help reduce cybersecurity-related threats at your organization, follow these essential cybersecurity best practices and share them with your employees and customers for a well-educated front line of security.
   
• {Webinar Bundle} OnCourse Learning - Cybersecurity: 10 Webinar Bundle: SBS CyberSecurity regularly hosts webinars in partnership with OnCourse Learning. In recognition of NCSAM, a new webinar bundle of 10 cybersecurity-related webinars has been released at a discounted price of $1895 (a $2,950 value)! Each webinar is 1.5 to 2 hours in length. Registrations include twelve months of OnDemand playback.
   
• {Service} Security Awareness Training: The goal of a strong security awareness training program is to create a culture of information security throughout your entire organization. SBS can help create, implement, and maintain a training program that can keep pace with changing technologies and new security threats.