Now in its 17th year, Cyber Security Awareness Month continues to build momentum and impact with the ultimate goal of providing everyone with the information they need to stay safer and more secure online. Boise State University is 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.
Throughout National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the Office of Information Technology Cybersecurity Department urges everyone to help create a safer and more secure cyber environment. The world is more interconnected today than ever before, and enjoy the benefits and convenience that cyberspace provides, including online shopping, mobile banking, and communicating with friends and family through social networks and email. However, users also face a range of threats – identity and intellectual property theft, network intrusions, and financial crimes – from these cyber networks.
The overarching message of this year’s theme, ‘If you Connect it, Protect it,’ dives into the importance of keeping connected devices safe and secure from outside influence. More than ever before, connected devices have been woven into society as an integral part of how people communicate and access services essential to their well being. Data collected from these devices can detail highly specific information about a person or business which can be exploited by bad actors for their personal gain.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month aims to shed light on these security vulnerabilities, while offering guidance surrounding simple security measures to limit the susceptibility of threats for commonly used devices.