Kaspersky champions Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2023

WOBURN, Mass., Oct. 4, 2023 /CNW/ -- Kaspersky has announced its role as a Champion Organization for Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2023, joining the collaborative effort to help people get the resources they need to stay safer online. This is the seventh straight year the company has supported the event.

October 2023 marks the 20th Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Over the past two decades, the campaign has grown significantly, reaching millions of individuals across hundreds of countries. The result of a partnership between the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) and the National Cybersecurity Alliance, the event is the world's foremost initiative aimed at promoting cybersecurity awareness and best practices.

This year's theme is "secure our world," putting the focus on simple ways to protect yourself, your family and your business from online threats. The campaign focuses on four key behaviors: using strong passwords and password managers, using multifactor authentication, recognizing and reporting phishing, and updating software.

In Q2 2023 alone, Kaspersky blocked more than 800 million attacks from online resources around the globe. Many of them involved malware designed to steal money directly from people's bank accounts, while others were aimed at cryptocurrency, corporate and personal data and more. Cybersecurity Awareness Month helps shine a light on these kinds of threats and provides straightforward safety advice for anyone to follow.

"Cybersecurity Awareness Month represents the kind of educational collaboration that is essential for creating a safer digital world for all of us," said Lisa Kilpatrick, managing director, Kaspersky North America. "Providing basic guidance to consumers, organizations and employees for protecting their data from cybercriminals is an important public service. We believe it is incumbent upon all of us in the industry to lend our resources to that effort."

For more information about Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2023 and how to participate, visit https://staysafeonline.org/programs/cybersecurity-awareness-month/. You can also follow and use the official hashtag #CybersecurityAwarenessMonth on social media throughout the month.

Kaspersky shares the following tips to help users strengthen their digital safety this month:

• Take part in the Cybersecurity Awareness Month #CyberChat Wednesday, October 11 at 2 PM ET on Twitter/X with @StaySafeOnline
• Protect your devices with an antivirus security suite, such as Kaspersky Standard, Plus or Premium. Use the code Cyber15 for 15% off through the month of October.
• Check out this survival guide for when you think you downloaded a virus, when you suspect an online account has been hacked, or a cybercriminal is threatening to delete all your files.
• Promptly run all security updates to your operating system and other software as soon as you are notified.
• Enable multi-factor authentication. This means you protect your account with more than just a password, stopping an attacker, even if they've stolen your password.
• Think before you click: Do not click on links in emails, text messages or chats from people you do not know, and be on the lookout for typos, requests for personal information, and e-mail addresses that don't match the company they claim to be from. Read more about recognizing and reporting phishing here.
• Use strong passwords and use a password manager: A tool like Kaspersky Password Manager can create, remember and safely store strong, unique passwords for all of your online accounts.
• Share with care: Be cautious about how much personal information you provide on social networking sites. The more information you post, the easier it may be for a criminal to use it to steal your identity or commit other crimes such as stalking.
• Lock your devices: Require a passcode to unlock your phone or tablet to protect your information in case your devices are lost or stolen.
• Use parental controls, such as Kaspersky Safe Kids to establish parameters around what kids can and can't do online. Children may not recognize dangers such as communicating with strangers online, so talk with them about these threats.

About Cybersecurity Awareness Month

Cybersecurity Awareness Month is designed to engage and educate public- and private-sector partners through events and initiatives with the goal of raising awareness about cybersecurity to increase the resiliency of the nation in the event of a cyber incident. Since the Presidential proclamation establishing Cybersecurity Awareness Month in 2004, the initiative has been formally recognized by Congress, federal, state and local governments and leaders from industry and academia. This united effort is necessary to maintain a cyberspace that is safer and more resilient and remains a source of tremendous opportunity and growth for years to come. For more information, visit staysafeonline.org/cybersecurity-awareness-month/ 

About National Cybersecurity Alliance

The National Cybersecurity Alliance is a non-profit organization on a mission to create a more secure, interconnected world. We advocate for the safe use of all technology and educate everyone on how best to protect ourselves, our families, and our organizations from cybercrime. We create strong partnerships between governments and corporations to amplify our message and to foster a greater "digital" good. For more information, please visit https://staysafeonline.org.

About Kaspersky

Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity and digital privacy company founded in 1997. Kaspersky's deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into innovative security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company's comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and specialized security solutions and services, as well as Cyber Immune solutions to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky technologies and we help over 220,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at usa.kaspersky.com.

SOURCE Kaspersky

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