Yes, it’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month—that special time of year when we take a break from doom-scrolling to consider whether our digital lives are more secure than a screen door on a submarine.
Why Should You Care About Cybersecurity? (Spoiler: It’s Your Money)
While you’re busy planning end-of-year budgets, bad actors are planning how to steal your data, lock your files, or convince your accounting department that the CEO urgently needs $50,000 in iTunes gift cards.
In 2024 alone, ransomware attacks have become so common that “We’ve been encrypted” is the new “The server is down.” Small and medium-sized businesses are especially juicy targets because hackers assume—often correctly—that security is more “suggestion” than “strategy.”
The Scary Truth About Modern Cyber Threats
- Phishing has evolved. Gone are the days of the “Nigerian Prince” emails with seventeen typos. Today’s phishing attempts often appear legitimate, sound urgent, and frequently originate from compromised accounts of people you actually know. That email from your vendor about an “updated invoice”? That Teams message from your boss asking for a favor? They might be real… or they might be the digital equivalent of vampires asking to be invited in.
- Ransomware is now a subscription service. We’re living in the era of Ransomware-as-a-Service (yes, really). Cybercrime has gone corporate, complete with customer support, negotiation teams, and—we’re not making this up—customer satisfaction surveys. They’ve professionalized crime while some of us still can’t figure out Microsoft Teams.
- Your employees are your greatest asset and your most significant vulnerability. No offense to your team, but humans are essentially security Swiss cheese. We click on suspicious links, reuse passwords across every account since MySpace, and think that ‘I’ll just click ‘Remind Me Later’ on that software update’ is a viable IT strategy.
Your Cybersecurity Awareness Month Action Plan
Here’s what you can do RIGHT NOW to level up your security game:
- Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) everywhere possible. Yes, it’s annoying. You know what’s more annoying? Explaining to your clients that all their data was stolen because someone guessed your password was your dog’s name plus the year you graduated.
- Train your team regularly. One security awareness training session from 2019 doesn’t count. Cyber threats evolve faster than iPhone models. Your employees need ongoing training with simulated phishing tests—think of it as a fire drill, but for your inbox.
- Back up your data as if your business depends on it. Because it does. Follow the 3-2-1 rule: three copies of your data, on two different types of media, with one copy offsite. And test your backups. An untested backup is just a digital security blanket—it makes you feel better, but it won’t actually save you.
- Update and patch everything. Software updates aren’t just for adding features you don’t want; they’re also for fixing bugs and improving performance. They patch security holes that hackers actively exploit. Enable automatic updates wherever possible, or schedule them regularly. Procrastinating on patches is like leaving your front door unlocked because you’re too busy to turn the key.
- Implement the Principle of “Least Privilege”. Not everyone needs access to everything. Your intern probably doesn’t need administrator rights. Your sales team probably doesn’t need access to payroll. Give people only the access they need to do their jobs—nothing more.
- Have an incident response plan. Hope for the best, plan for the worst. When (not if) something goes wrong, you need a clear plan: Who do you call? What systems do you isolate? How do you communicate with clients? Figure this out before you’re in the midst of a crisis and running on panic and cold coffee.
The Bottom Line
Cybersecurity isn’t a once-month commitment or a “set it and forget it” appliance you buy once and ignore forever. It’s an ongoing process, a culture, a mindset. It’s about staying one step ahead of the bad guys—or at least not making their jobs ridiculously easy.
[Related: How To Create a Cybersecurity Culture in Your Small Business]
In honor of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, commit to treating your digital security with the same seriousness you treat your physical security. You wouldn’t leave your office unlocked with a sign saying “Valuable Stuff Inside”—so don’t do the digital equivalent.
At CMIT Solutions of Brooklyn, we’ve been helping businesses navigate the cybersecurity landscape since before the term “the cloud” had any meaning beyond its meteorological context. We know it’s complicated, overwhelming, and about as fun as a root canal. But we also know it’s essential, and we’re here to help make it manageable.
Let’s make every month Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Your future self (and your cyber insurance provider) will thank you.
Ready to strengthen your security posture? Contact CMIT Solutions of Brooklyn today for a comprehensive security assessment because the best defense against cyber threats is being proactive—not reactive.