The Importance of Cybersecurity

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Cybersecurity Documentation - What You Need To Know?

Primer

The purpose of this document is to provide citizens and business leaders a fundamental understanding of today’s cyber security risks and ways to protect against this emerging threat. This information can help leaders in any industry to drive key decisions critical to defending themselves against a cyber security incident.

As all levels of government and industry rely more heavily on digital communications than ever before, the risks of being attacked by cybercriminals from across the world are ever-present. One of the best ways to combat these threats is for community and industry leaders to pass along their vast amount of gathered knowledge to the public and this document was created with that idea in mind.

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Why Be Cyber-conscious?

Cybersecurity is one of the biggest hot topics both inside and outside of technology circles over the last two years. From securing learning devices due to a rise in digital learning during the COVID-19 pandemic to coping with the fallout of high-profile breaches of national infrastructure there is a seemingly endless news cycle dedicated to cybersecurity mishaps and concerns.

And with this onslaught of negative news, it can be easy for everyday individuals to become overwhelmed and to feel powerless in the face of the “insurmountable” threats posed by cybersecurity. But in actuality, nothing could be further from the truth.

With all of the jargon that is typically thrown around in relation to cybersecurity, there is a longstanding misperception that cybersecurity is beyond everyday people and that it should be left to professionals. Moreover, there is a prevailing sense among the public that breaches are simply a fact of life and that we should just learn to deal with them. But this just isn’t true. In fact, everyday people have a huge role to play in cybersecurity threat prevention, detection, and remediation. Most instances are simply caused by human error. Therefore, every dayall technology users are very much the first line of defense when it comes to thwarting cybercrime. Unfortunately, though, many individuals are not aware of some of the best practices for boosting cybersecurity and how easy they are to use.

Below are a few key best practices that everyday people can implement today to enhance their own cybersecurity and create a more secure world for everyone:

Public WiFi Safety

Assume Public Wi-Fi networks are not secure:

Don’t access your personal or financial information.
Log in or send personal information to fully encrypted websites
When you’ve finished using an account, log out.
Don’t use the same password on different websites. It could give someone who gains access to one of your accounts access to many of your accounts.
When logging into a site, pay attention to web browser warnings and alerts concerning scammy sites or malicious software
keep your browser and security software up to date.
Change your device’s settings so it doesn’t automatically connect to nearby Wi-Fi.
Install browser add-ons or plug-ins that can help

Social Media Safety Sense

With so many of us using social media today, sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn make perfect targets for scams.

Here are our top 10 tips to stay safe on social media:

Use a strong password. The longer it is, the more secure it will be.
Use a different password for each of your social media accounts.
Set up your security answers. This option is available for most social media sites.
If you have social media apps on your phone, be sure to password protect your device.
Be selective with friend requests. If you don’t know the person, don’t accept their request. It could be a fake account.
Click links with caution. Social media accounts are regularly hacked. Look out for language or content that does not sound like something your friend would post.
Be careful about what you share. Don’t reveal sensitive personal information ie: home address, financial information, phone number. The more you post the easier it is to have your identity stolen.
Become familiar with the privacy policies of the social media channels you use and customize your privacy settings to control who sees what.
Protect your computer by installing antivirus software to safeguard. Also ensure that your browser, operating system, and software are kept up to date.
Remember to log off when you’re done.

Strong Passwords & A Password Manager

Passwords - "Cybersecurity Alliance Resource" - Having unique, long and complex passwords is one of the best ways to immediately boost your cybersecurity. Yet, only 43% of the public say that they “always” or “very often” use strong passwords. Password cracking is one of the go-to tactics that cybercriminals turn to in order to access sensitive information. And if you are a “password repeater,” once a cybercriminal has hacked one of your accounts, they can easily do the same across all of your accounts.

One of the biggest reasons that individuals repeat passwords is that it can be tough to remember all of the passwords you have. Fortunately, by using a password manager, individuals can securely store all of their unique passwords in one place. Meaning, people only have to remember one password. In addition, password managers are incredibly easy to use and can automatically plug-in stored passwords when you visit a site.

More About Passwords

Recognizing & Reporting Phishing

Phishing – "Cybersecurity Alliance Resource" - When a cybercriminal poses as a legitimate party in hopes of getting individuals to engage with malicious content or links – remains one of the most popular tactics among cybercriminals today. In fact, 80% of cybersecurity incidents stem from a phishing attempt. However, while phishing has gotten more sophisticated, keeping an eye out for typos, poor graphics and other suspicious characteristics can be a tell tale sign that the content is potentially coming from a “phish.” In addition, if you think you have spotted a phishing attempt be sure to report the incident so that internal IT teams and service providers can remediate the situation and prevent others from possibly becoming victims.

What is Vishing?

Vishing - Many people are now aware of phishing. If you are not Phishing is defined by Merriam-Webster as a scam by which an Internet user is duped (as by a deceptive email message) into revealing personal or confidential information which the scammer can use illicitly. What many people don’t know is that cyber criminals don’t just use email, some use text messages, some call and some leave voice messages.

Voice phishing, or vishing, is the use of telephony (often Voice over IP telephony) to conduct phishing attacks. Vishing and Phishing are both forms of social engineering, which is the act of using human interaction and manipulation to obtain sensitive information about a person, organization, or its computer systems.

Here is a fun and informative video from the National Cyber Security Alliance.

Ransomware Attacks

What is Ransomware?

A ransomware attack involves cyber actors gaining access to your network, systems and data and then rendering parts of these unusable, and/or stealing some of the data you have stored. The cyber-actor then ‘ransoms’ the data back requiring payment to provide a decryption key to allow for the recovery of the encrypted data and systems or to top guarantee sensitive data is not further exposed. In some cases, ransomware actors will publicly release or sell the data that has been stolen if the victim does not pay. Ransomware attacks are often the result of a phishing attack, when a company employee clicks on a malicious link, or the exploitation of known vulnerabilities in outdated software that an organization has not updated using patches they receive from software vendors.

National Cybersecurity Alliance: Ransomware

Ransomware: Facts and Statistics

Enabling Multi-factor Authentication

MFA –"Cybersecurity Alliance Resource" - It prompts a user to input a second set of verifying information such as a secure code sent to a mobile device or to sign-in via an authenticator app – is a hugely effective measure that anyone can use to drastically reduce the chances of a cybersecurity breach. In fact, according to Microsoft, MFA is 99.9 percent effective in preventing breaches. Therefore, it is a must for any individual that is looking to secure their devices and accounts.

Updating Software

Updating Software - "Cybersecurity Alliance Resource" - Making sure devices are always up-to-date with the most recent versions is essential to preventing cybersecurity issues from cropping up. Cybersecurity is an ongoing effort, and updates are hugely important in helping to address vulnerabilities that have been uncovered as well as in providing ongoing maintenance. Therefore, instead of trying to remember to check for updates or closing out of update notifications, enable automatic update installations whenever possible.

External Media Devices

External Media Devices

Removable media is any type of storage device that can be removed from a computer while the system is running such as CDs, DVDs, Blue Ray disks, and USB drives.

Please follow these guidelines for managing removable media and devices:

• Install anti-virus solution(s) on your computer that will actively scan for malware when any type of removable media or device is connected.
• Ensure that all removable media and devices are encrypted. This will render any data useless to unauthorized users should the device be lost or stolen.
• Never connect found media or devices to a PC. Give any unknown storage device to security or IT personnel.
• Always apply new passwords before and after every business/personal trip where company data is being utilized on removable media devices
• Never disclose the passwords used with removable media or devices to anyone.
• Disable the Autorun and Autoplay features for all removable media or devices. These features automatically run when plugged into a USB port or drive.
• Keep your personal and business data separate. Do not store UMass Chan data on your personal device.
• When you have finished transferring sensitive data from removable media or device, be sure to delete it from that device.

Removable Media

Cybersecurity Disclaimer:

The cybersecurity advice provided on the city of Fairfield, CA. website, was derived from information held by the city as well as the National Cybersecurity Alliance and other local and national websites and sources available for use by the general public for intellectual and edification purposes only. Although, as stated, other information sources may have been reviewed and used in the creation of this document, in no way does this data represent or constitute the opinion of the City of Fairfield, CA. Therefore, the City of Fairfield cannot accept any responsibility for any errors, omissions, or accuracy, hence there are no warranties which accompany this product. Users of this information and service are strongly advised to verify all information with the primary data owner before making any decisions.

Fairfield, CA

The Importance of Cybersecurity

Why Be Cyber-conscious?

Cybersecurity Tips

Online Safety

Cyber Youth Education

Digital Hygiene

Helpful Tips

Computer: Lost/Stolen

College Education