October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a national effort to promote cybersecurity awareness, to empower everyone to take steps to protect against online threats, and to keep the nation’s critical infrastructure secure against cyber threats. This year’s theme is Securing the Next 250, which recognizes the nation’s 250th anniversary and focuses on building a secure digital future.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a collaborative effort led by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), uniting the public and private sectors to encourage behaviors that reduce online risks.

Four essential behaviors to stay safe online include:

• Update software
  • Use automatic updates or install them right away
• Use strong passwords and a password manager
  • Long, random, and different passwords for each of your accounts
• Turn on multifactor authentication (MFA)
  • Enter a number sent to your phone
• Recognize and report phishing
  • Be wary of urgent messages to take immediate action.

To learn more about Cybersecurity Awareness Month and find free tools to protect yourself and your organization, go to www.cisa.gov.