October is Cyber Security Month, an initiative by the US Cybersecurity & Infrastructructure Security Agency (CISA). CISA is a risk advisor that helps agencies, enterprises, organizations and institutions defend against cyber threats and collaborates to build more secure and resilient infrastructure.
CISA’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month Web portal links to tools to help address cybersecurity risks and to protect yourself online.
CISA resources include:
- Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2021 Partner Toolkit, which provides material for informative emails and social posts by organizations to their stakeholders
- Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2021 Partner Presentation, to help explain basic cybersecurity best practices to non-technial audiences.
- Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2021 Tip Sheets about security practices at work, for travel, for online privacy, two-factor authentication and passwords, and guidelines for social media and digital home.
- CISA also provides these materials translated to Spanish, French, Arabic, Portuguese and Chinese.
Also in recognition of Cyber Security Month, the national trade association USTelecom published several reports about cybersecurity and threats to networks and devices.
The USTA reports include:
- Core IoT Security policy principles, published by the Council to Secure the Digital Economy (CSDE). CSDE is composed of two “conveners” (hence the name “C2”) – USTelecom and the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) – and 13 global information and communications technology (ICT) companies.
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The C2 Consensus of IoT Device Security Baseline Capabilities, published in 2019 and its 2021 supplement; also published by CDSE
- The 2021 Cybersecurity Survey: Critical Infrastructure Small and Medium Sized Businesses
Access these reports and others, via USTA’s Cybersecurity Action Center: Resources to Combat Cyber Security Threats
Why it matters
Cybersecurity and device security are essential parts of the anti-piracy arsenal. These resources provide a wealth of information for those who need to understand the nature and scope of cyber-related issues, and practices toward fighting cyber-risks. USTA considers cybersecurity to be core to its mission.
In response to the Biden Administration’s May 2021 executive order to improve national cybersecurity, USTA President and CEO Jonathan Spalter said “The United States is by far the No. 1 global target of cybersecurity threats – most of which originate from countries far from friendly to our national interests. (Biden’s) Executive Order meets the moment with a serious and comprehensive framework to strengthen our overall cybersecurity posture.”
