Cybersecurity Awareness Month Creating Partnerships to Raise Cybersecurity Awareness at Home and Abroad By the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency Since 2004, the president of the United States and Congress have declared October to be Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a time dedicated for the public and private sectors to work together to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity. Over the years, it has grown into a collaborative effort between government and the industry to enhance cybersecurity awareness, encourage actions by the public to reduce online risk and generate discussion on cyber threats on a national and global scale. October 2025 marks the 22nd Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Four Easy Ways to Stay Safe Online Let’s work together to build a safer digital world. We can increase our online safety through four simple actions, and whether at home, work or school, these tips make us more secure when connected. Take time to discuss them with family, friends, employees and your community so we can all become safer online! 1. Use Strong Passwords Simple passwords, such as 12345, or common identifying information, like birthdays and pet names, are not safe for protecting important accounts holding personal information. Using an easy-to-guess password is like locking the door but leaving the key in the lock. Weak passwords can quickly be broken by computer hackers. But it’s impossible to remember a unique, strong password for every account! The good news is that creating and storing strong passwords with the help of a "password manager" is one of the easiest ways to protect ourselves from someone logging into our accounts and stealing sensitive information, data, money or even our identities. 2. Turn on MFA Multi-factor authentication (MFA) provides extra security by confirming our identities when logging in to our accounts, like entering a code texted to a phone or one generated by an authenticator app. MFA increases security and can make us significantly safer online. Even if an unauthorized user steals your password, they won’t be able to meet the second-step requirement to access your accounts. 3. Recognize and Report Phishing Phishing occurs when criminals try to get us to open harmful links, emails or attachments that could request our personal information or infect our devices. Phishing messages or “bait” usually come in the form of an email, text, direct message on social media or phone call. These messages are often designed to look like they come from a trusted person or organization to get us to respond. 4. Update Software Many people might select “Remind me later” when they see an update alert. However, many software updates are created to fix security risks. Keeping software up to date is an easy way to stay safer online. To make updates even more convenient, turn on the automatic updates in the device’s or application’s security settings. For more information or questions, please email awarenesscampaigns@mail.cisa.dhs.gov. The Show-Me Banker Magazine | 29
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