October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month in the U.S. This year marks the 20th anniversary of this time set aside to bring attention to online threats and safety. "This October, we challenge all Americans to help secure our world by adopting four simple steps that everyone can take to stay safe online," Jen Easterly, director of the federal Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), says in the informational video about the month posted below. What are those four steps?
  1. Use strong passwords;
  2. Turn on multi-factor authentication;
  3. Recognize and report phishing attempts; and
  4. Keep software updated.
"We all have a role to play to secure our world," Easterly concludes. "We can all secure our online accounts by practicing basic cyber hygiene." Anyone in need of a more sobering reminder of the importance of basic cyber hygiene should check out the Identity Theft Resource Center's recent report on early 2023 data breaches. This year is on track to set a new record for the number of individuals victimized by cybersecurity events, the Center reports. There were 1,393 data beaches between January and June of 2023, with a total of 156,637,416 people impacted, according to this nonprofit organization founded to provide victim assistance and education. The slideshow above illustrates the 10 biggest cybersecurity breaches during the first half of 2023, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center. The threat is certainly top of mind for professionals working in and adjacent to the insurance sector. "A company's security is only as good as its weakest link," Vertafore Vice President of Cybersecurity Lena Taylor said this week in a prepared statement. "Cybersecurity works best when everyone in the organization knows they are responsible for keeping data safe."

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