Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2024: Renew Your Effort to Fortify Your Digital Defenses

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and a great time for organizations to focus on strengthening their resistance to online attacks. For most organizations, the best place to start in fortifying their digital defenses is raising employees’ security awareness, keeping software up to date, and phasing out vulnerable legacy systems.

[Related on MHA Consulting: Cyber Self-Defense: Prepare for the No. 1 Threat By Taking These Five Steps]

Marking Cybersecurity Awareness Month

For many people, October is notable for its focus on horror movies, black cats, and monster costumes. For IT and business continuity professionals it’s about something even more frightening: cyberattacks. 

Since 2004, October in the U.S. has been designated as Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a time for the public and private sectors to unite in promoting the importance of cybersecurity. The event is a joint effort by government and industry to raise awareness, encourage individuals to take steps to reduce online risks, and foster global conversations about cyber threats. 

A principal coordinator of the event is the CISA, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. CISA’s website has many valuable resources, including tips, toolkits, and best practices to help companies and individuals strengthen their defenses against online attacks.

Strengthening Your Digital Defenses

Regular readers of the blog know we try to avoid hype and click bait in discussing business continuity and operational resilience issues. So let’s start by saying, the cyber threat is not a problem that one month of effort will fix and there is no silver bullet companies can use to protect themselves from hackers.

Improving cybersecurity—and enhancing the ability to recover from disruptions—is an ongoing task for every organization, one that requires attention every month of the year. Furthermore, the main measures needed to combat it are things MHA Consulting CEO Michael Herrera and I have talked about in previous blogs and which are well-known to IT and BC professionals.

That said, Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a great time to revisit a few key facts and tips companies can use to strengthen their digital defenses.

Key facts and tips to strengthen your organization’s digital defenses

The cyberthreat continues to grow

Hackers are using increasingly sophisticated methods, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced social engineering, to exploit vulnerabilities and breach systems.

Responsible companies owe it to their stakeholders to protect themselves

Businesses must take proactive steps to safeguard their operations, data, and reputation, as well as fulfill their obligations to customers, employees, and partners.

The focus should be on reducing risks

While it’s impossible to eliminate all cyberthreats, organizations should prioritize minimizing exposure and vulnerabilities to protect against attacks.

Most companies are doing a good job with technical defenses

In general, businesses have implemented robust technical solutions like firewalls, encryption, and automated monitoring systems to defend against cyberthreats.

The biggest vulnerability is human error

Despite strong technical defenses, the greatest risk comes from people—especially through risky behaviors like clicking on phishing emails or failing to follow security protocols.

Companies should improve cybersecurity awareness and implement consequences for habitual clickers

Many organizations would benefit from enhanced security training programs and accountability measures for employees who consistently engage in risky behaviors.

Keeping software up to date is critical

Regular patching and updates are essential for closing security gaps that hackers could exploit.

Legacy software is a significant weakness

Many organizations still rely on outdated systems that are difficult and costly to update. BC and IT teams can only inform management of the risks—improvement in this area ultimately depends on leadership decisions.

Companies should be prepared in case their defenses fail

This means having the ability to operate manually if necessary and ensuring business processes can continue even if systems are compromised.

Have a plan for shutting down and restarting systems

From a business continuity perspective, organizations need plans for shutting down (and restarting) systems in a controlled and efficient manner. Plans might cover targeted shutdowns isolating affected areas (by building, device type, etc.) or a rapid, organization-wide shutdown of all networked devices (perhaps excluding a few mission-critical pieces which can be disconnected from the network but kept in operation to ensure business functions continue).

While there’s no quick fix for cyberthreats, taking consistent, strategic steps will go a long way toward strengthening your defenses and ensuring your business can recover from disruptions when they occur.

Fostering a Culture of Cybersecurity Awareness

Cybersecurity Awareness Month serves as an important reminder of the threats organizations face from malicious online actors. By implementing security awareness training, regularly updating software, and addressing legacy systems, companies can significantly reduce their risk and enhance their resilience against cyberattacks.

As we recognize the importance of this month, let’s commit to fostering a culture of cybersecurity awareness that extends far beyond October. Each organization has a role to play in not only protecting its assets but also in contributing to a safer digital landscape for everyone.

Further Reading

• Cyber Self-Defense: Prepare for the No. 1 Threat By Taking These Five Steps
• The Retro Revolution:  Why Manual Workarounds  Are a BC Must
• Exploring DORA: The EU’s Excellent New Digital Resilience Standard
• Rumors of War: Protecting Yourself from State-Sponsored Cyberattacks
• What BC Professionals Can Do to Help Guard Against Cyberattacks