Secure our world by protecting county digital assets

Key Takeaways

October 2024 marks the 21st Cybersecurity Awareness Month. 

It is hard to comprehend how the volume of data that we now protect has grown significantly since 2004, and that growth is not slowing down. 

It was a much simpler world decades ago, when the data we needed to protect was written mostly on paper and kept in a drawer, a filing cabinet, or eventually thrown away. Today, digital data assets can be on your computer, in the cloud, on an external drive, on a mobile device, on your watch and other devices such as cameras. The list will continue to expand substantially, especially with the exponential growth and broad implementation of artificial intelligence.

Do more

The National Cyber Security Review is open annually from October through the following February. The 2024 NCSR cycle will open for end-user submissions on Oct. 1. The NCSR is a no-cost self-assessment that allows you to measure your cybersecurity program and receive automated custom reporting and recommended resources. New  users can register by following the link below, and existing NCSR users can access the portal here. Contact ncsr@cisecurity.org if your organization is interested in scheduling a demo overview of the NCSR program’s software platform and associated benefits.

Attend the virtual kick-off event Oct 2, when cybersecurity experts and government leaders will discuss the growing cyber threats to U.S. infrastructure and how we can work together to create a safer online world.

And hackers have taken advantage of the prolific and often insufficiently secure data in local government. No county wants to be on the front page of the papers, but that’s what happens when a cyber attack on your county is successful. In 2023, the average days of downtime for government organizations was over 14 days, which translates to $860.3 million overall. Comparitech offers a more in-depth analysis of government downtime 2023, along with a map of recent ransomware attacks. 

Protecting a county's digital assets is now a full-time job and involves not just your technology department, but all county staff working together. But there's help in that effort, thanks to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. These resources, including those listed, below can be downloaded and customized to share with your staff. 

• 4 Easy Ways to Stay Safe Online
• Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2024 sample social media posts
• Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2024 sample press eelease
• Stay Safe Online videos
• And more resources 

Remember that you should be paying close attention to cyber security and awareness throughout the year. This includes taking the following four steps each day to ensure your online safety:

Recognize & report phishing

Most successful online intrusions result from a recipient of a “phishing” message accidentally downloading malware or giving their personal information to a spammer. Do not click or engage with these phishing attempts. Instead, recognize them by their use of alarming language or offers that are too good to be true. Report the phish and delete phishing messages.

Use strong passwords 

Make passwords at least 16 characters long, random and unique for each account. Use a password manager, a secure program that maintains and creates passwords. This easy-to-use program will store passwords and fill them in automatically on the web.

Turn on multifactor authentication (MFA) 

Use MFA on any site that offers it. MFA provides an extra layer of security in addition to a password when logging into accounts and apps, like a face scan or a code sent by text. Using MFA will make you much less likely to get hacked.

Update software 

When devices, apps or software programs (especially antivirus software) notify us that updates are available, we should install them as soon as possible. Updates close security code bugs to better protect our data. Turn on automatic updates to make it even easier.

In closing, I asked a GenAI tool to create a poem that will help us all to remember the top best practices in cyber security:

Be mindful of your passwords strong,
Change them often, don't wait too long.
Use numbers, symbols, mix it right,
To keep your data out of sight.

Phishing scams may come your way,
But don’t let them ruin your day.
Check the sender, think it through,
Before you click—protect what's true.

Software updates, don't delay,
Patch those holes without dismay.
A firewall stands like a knight,
Guarding you both day and night.

Back up your files, don’t wait to act,
In case disaster springs an attack.
Cyber awareness is the key,
Stay alert and worry-free!