Since 2004, the President of the United States and Congress have declared October to be Cybersecurity Awareness Month, helping individuals protect themselves online as threats to technology and confidential data become more commonplace. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) lead a collaborative effort between government and industry to raise cybersecurity awareness nationally and internationally. https://www.cisa.gov/cybersecurity-awareness-month This year, we will focus on four key behaviors which allow users to feel empowered to take responsibility for personal data safety online. WEEK 2 - Using Strong Passwords Tips for creating strong passwords<https://www.ohio.edu/oit/security/cybersecurity-awareness-month/strong-passw...> * Plan for a minimum of 10 characters, using special characters, capital letters, punctuation, and numbers. Not sure if your password is long enough? Hive Systems updates their recommendations for password length(opens in a new window)<https://www.hivesystems.io/blog/are-your-passwords-in-the-green> yearly based on current technology being utilized by bad actors. * Don't use predictable passwords such as passw0rd, 12345, or test1. * This includes obvious connections to the company or brand. For example, don't use bobcat or Rufus as your OHIO password. * Keyboard patterns also make weak passwords, such as qwerty or 1qaz2wsx. * Consider using a phrase instead of a word. Phrases make it easier to have long passwords and can be difficult to guess if you incorporate special characters. * Too many passwords to remember? Use a password manager. These tools will generate secure random passwords for your sites and store them in a central place. All you need to remember is the password you set for your password manager's account. [cid:image002.png@01D8DD8A.92225AE0] Additional resources: https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/keep-your-passwords-strong-and-secure-with-... https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/create-and-use-strong-passwords-... https://www.cisa.gov/uscert/ncas/tips/ST04-002 James Hale, ARM-P, ARM-E, CPSI Risk Control Consultant County Risk Sharing Authority 209 East State Street Columbus, OH 43215 614.246.1630 FAX 614.220.0209 " The leader in providing Ohio Counties with exceptional value, service, and protection of assets." [cid:image001.png@01D8DD8A.32B4BA80] CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail message (including any attachments) is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy this message and all attachments.
