EVERETT, Wash. – The City of Everett is kicking off a new campaign in honor of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, highlighting the growing importance of cybersecurity in our daily lives and encouraging individuals and businesses to take important cybersecurity steps to stay safe online.
“Recently, while visiting Washington State University- Everett, I checked out Cybertown, their tabletop city model that give students hand-on cybersecurity experience. As I watched the students try different tools and find ways to attack this model city, it made me even more appreciative of our fantastic IT team and efforts like this to raise awareness about cybersecurity,” said Mayor Cassie Franklin.
This year, the theme is Secure Our World with the main messaging revolving around four key cybersecurity best practices:
- Understanding the benefits of using a password manager and dispelling existing myths around password manager security and ease of use.
- Turning on multifactor authentication on personal devices and business networks.
- Recognizing and reporting phishing – still one of the primary threat actions used by cybercriminals today.
- Installing updates on a regular basis and turning on automated updates.
“Everyone deserves a safe and secure digital ecosystem for commerce and speech,” said Steven Hellyer, director of Information Technology at the City of Everett. “Using strong passwords with password managers, turning on multi-factor authentication, learning how to recognize phishing and keeping software up to date with the latest security patches are accessible ways for each of us to reduce the risk of cybercrime.”
From mobile to connected home devices, technology is deeply intertwined with our lives. And while the evolution of technology accelerates, cybercriminals are working just as hard to find ways to compromise technology and disrupt personal and business life. Cybersecurity Awareness Month aims to highlight some of the emerging challenges that exist in the world of cybersecurity today and provide straightforward actionable guidance that anyone can follow to create a safe and secure digital world for themselves and their loved ones.
Founded in 2004, Cybersecurity Awareness Month, held each October, is the world’s foremost initiative aimed at promoting cybersecurity awareness and best practices. Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a collaborative effort among businesses, government agencies, colleges and universities, associations, nonprofit organizations, tribal communities, and individuals committed to educating others on online safety.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month continues to build momentum and impact with the goal of providing everyone with the information they need to stay safer and more secure online. The City of Everett is proud to support this far-reaching online safety awareness and education initiative which is co-managed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the National Cybersecurity Alliance.
For more information about Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2023 and how to participate in a wide variety of activities, visit everettwa.gov/cybersecurity.
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