SonicWall announced its global commitment to support Cybersecurity Awareness Month this October with an added emphasis on the ‘people' component of cybersecurity. This initiative helps provide information and resources to educate Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) partners and the public, and ensure all individuals and organizations make smart decisions whether on the job, at home or at school.

"We've all come to understand that sound protection includes people as the most important pillar of a sound cybersecurity strategy," said SonicWall Executive Vice President and CMO Geoff Blaine. "An organization cannot be secure until the entire workforce is engaged in reducing cyber risks. Each member of the group has the power to harm or to help, since each one has access to information, systems, handles sensitive data, and makes decisions every day that could maintain, erode or strengthen the human "attack surface" of the organization."

Individuals, employees and consumers alike need to take basic steps to protect online information and privacy, while vendors and suppliers can take ownership by putting strong cybersecurity guidelines in place at work to help prevent cyberattacks and incidents. There continues to be a global need for skilled, diverse workers with technical skills to meet the cyber challenges of today and tomorrow.

Four Steps to Keep Safe Online

Since 2004, the President of the United States and Congress have declared October to be Cybersecurity Awareness Month, helping individuals protect themselves online as threats to technology and confidential data become more commonplace.

This initiative 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. This year's theme of ‘See Yourself in Cyber' is the idea that cybersecurity comes down to us all as individuals. Throughout October, CISA and NCSA will highlight key action steps that everyone should take to help stay more digitally safe:

• Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
• Use Strong Passwords
• Recognize and Report Phishing
• Update Your Software (i.e., maintain strict patching policies)
  

"Moving the needle on cybersecurity awareness requires a collective approach," said Lisa Plaggemier, NCA's executive director. "Businesses, nonprofits, and governments all have a role to play in helping to up-level preparedness for cyber threats."