WHAT IS NCSAM?
NCSAM – just another acronym right? Spot on but an incredibly important one for businesses, individuals and their cybersecurity practices. NCSAM or National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, taking place every October, had its roots way back in 2003 as a joint venture between the Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance in the United States. In 2013, the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security launched ECSM, the European Cyber Security Month, the equivalent of NCSAM in Europe and the UK.
WHY ARE NCSAM AND ECSM VITAL?
Enough with the acronyms and let’s get down to business. NCSAM and its European pal, ECSM, are dedicated to the enlightenment of global citizens and organizations with regards to appropriate cybersecurity practices, staying safe online and above all, keeping your data out of harm’s way. To see why the National Cyber Security Awareness Month should be bookmarked in your IT calendar, consider these facts about cybercrime in 2020:
- more than 60% of companies suffered a ransomware attack
- organizations experienced, on average, 6 days of downtime – up 100% from the year before
- there was a 64% increase in email threats with hackers using advanced social engineering techniques to target victims
- 79% of organizations suffered as a consequence of their lack of cybersecurity preparedness
According to Mimecast, a cloud-based email management for Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Office 365 specialist:
“Cybercriminals have changed the way they do business. Security and IT teams must do the same.”
THERE’S A U IN SECURITY
Always remember that there’s a U in secUrity and that you means YOU! And best practice cybersecurity all through NSCAM and beyond starts with you. Here are 5 easy tips – call them rules if you like – to ensure that you stay safe online and prevent data theft.
- You’ve just won a £1,000 Amazon voucher! Click the link to claim your prize. Don’t click as the click will likely cost you much more than £1,000
- Your rule for passwords should be this – Longer is Stronger
- Secure your internet connection and don’t use public Wi-Fi for business or private transactions
- Keep your antivirus software up to date and on
- Limit the amount of personal information you put online to prevent identity theft
Prevention is better than cure so be preemptive when it comes to cybersecurity.
WHAT WE WILL DO
While the intentions of NCSAM are great, your business always runs the risk of human error from your employees. Zhero has 20 years plus of business, IT experience in good cybersecurity practice and risk mitigation. We will educate your staff and provide ongoing training to ensure that nobody in the office clicks on that malicious link or downloads a dangerous file. More than this, we will apply state-of-the-art antivirus and antimalware, provide multiple backups of your data, and keep your network safe with 24/7 monitoring. Let’s fight cybercrime together. Use the opportunities that the NCSAM avails and contact Zhero now.
