In light of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, cybersecurity risk prevention tips were released by the Department of Commerce Chief Information Security Officer Ryan Higgins. Cyber threats have grown and become more sophisticated as our nation further relies on technologies in personal and business life. National Cybersecurity Month is October, and the Department of Commerce Chief Information Security Officer Ryan Higgins released a reminder on the dangers of cybersecurity and tips on how to mitigate potential risks.
Ryan Higgins, The Department of Commerce Chief Information Security Officer works closely with cybersecurity experts at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The NIST regularly describes how human psychology can be exploited by cyber criminals to compromise our accounts. While this is concerning, research on the topic has developed steps to minimize the risk of common behaviors that are proven to be insecure. This research helps the NIST better understand online safety in regards to passwords. The three following practices have been found to better protect consumers: 1. When you use a password, use one that is longer than 15 characters, as these provide greater protection than a shorter, arbitrarily complex password. 2. Employing MFA (such as a one-time code emailed to you) adds a second, critical layer to protect against a compromised password. MFA should be set up anytime it is available. 3. Password managers, protected by one very strong, long password with MFA enabled, allows us to create unique passwords for each site without needing to memorize them all. These tips were posted in a press release on the U.S. Department of Commerce website.
According to statistic website getastra.com, statistics indicate that there are 2,200 cyber attacks per day on average. In the United States, a data breach costs and average of $9.44 million dollars, and cybercrime is predicted to cost a total of $8 trillion by the end of 2023. Alarming statistics show that in the first six months of 2022, there were 2.8 billion malware attacks and 255 million phishing attacks reported, and for all of 2022, 71% of businesses reported falling victim to ransomware attacks.
According to techopedia.com, a Q1 2022 report published by Check Point Research revealed a list of top brands ranked by their overall appearance in branding phishing attempts. LinkedIn ranked first overall, with 52% of all phishing attacks globally, with DHL next at 14%, and followed by Google at 7%. LinkedIn represents the first time a social media platform claimed the top spot in the rankings. With the rise of remote work, there has been an increase in business email compromise scams. These scammers employ phishing email-based tactics to deceive individuals into disclosing confidential company information or making unauthorized money transfers.
