October is European Cyber Security Month (or National Cyber Security Awareness Month in the US), and organizations want to help improve security across the globe. The European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) is organizing the event in Europe, and have created a web page providing a list of all the activities that people can participate in. The activities range from online training courses to contests, but they all aim to make people more aware of how they can stay safe online.
So what should people do for European Cyber Security Month (ECSM)? It’s only been around since 2012 so there’s no established traditions or campaigns to be followed. And this is somewhat problematic. Awareness of the month, just like awareness of many cyber security issues, remains critically low amongst companies, as well as the public.
So if there’s one thing people can “do” for ECSM, it’s learn. At least that’s according to F-Secure Cyber Security Advisor Erka Koivunen, who participated in ECSM’s kick-off event in Brussels last week.
“ECSM is about raising awareness, so if people take away some knowledge about cyber security, or even technology, I would say we’re moving in the right direction,” says Erka. “The threats are real, but being a victim isn’t inevitable. The choices people and companies make will determine whether or not their devices, data, and other assets stay protected.”
So ECSM is, in a nutshell, learning to make security-conscious decisions that balances protection with other needs. Or, to put it another way, it’s about using security to make the cyber great again.
So if you want to take advantage of ECSM and are looking for a place to start, check out this “Ask me Anything” session featuring Koivunen and Cosmin Ciobanu from ENISA that happened on October 4th.
Image courtesy of Cyber Gandalf.
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