Nonprofit Resources
National Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Protect IT
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and each week we’ll provide resources to help you increase your organization’s cybersecurity knowledge and decrease your risk.
The Department of Homeland Security is focusing on the theme of “Own IT. Secure IT. Protect IT.” This week we’ll explain how your organization can “Protect IT” by tightening up your processes and controls.
Protect Your Email
Email has become a business necessity that most of us use every day. But it also carries cybersecurity risks you need to be aware of and protect against.
- You can improve email security at your organization by evaluating your process, training end users, and securing your systems. This article walks you through these steps.
- The risk of employees falling victim to phishing emails is rising, but you can reduce the threat:
- Educate employees on how a phishing attack works and the warning signs. Conducting phishing tests is a particularly effective method of increasing your employees’ awareness of how to avoid this type of attack.
- Learn how to protect your organization from phishing emails and to respond quickly if a breach occurs.
Protect Your Facilities
With all the focus on cybersecurity, it’s easy to overlook the importance of physical security — but these areas should be considered together.
Use a multi-layered approach to physical security that includes:
- Controlling and monitoring access to your locations and areas where critical data is stored.
- Preventing and detecting intrusions with alarms and visitor access policies.
- Monitoring and responding to environmental threats.
- Creating and documenting policies for locking workstations, confidentiality agreements, and the handling of sensitive information.
Protect Your Data
It’s also important to prevent the loss of your organization’s data, including end users sharing critical data outside of its intended use.
- Be aware that cloud computing presents challenges in keeping your data contained, thereby increasing the risk of data loss. Cloud apps are a convenient way to share information. But without the appropriate policies and configuration, they can create more potential for data loss.
- There are many ways to minimize data loss, and implementing a solution to manage your outbound email is a great starting point. Your email provider or email licensing agreement may have options readily available. However, there are many possibilities when it comes to data loss prevention (DLP). Check out this DLP overview from Cisco to learn how it works and what technologies are available.
Have questions about these or other cybersecurity issues? Please contact us at [email protected]. You can also access additional cybersecurity articles and blog posts on our website.
