ALBANY — The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) provides a free cybersecurity toolkit for small businesses so they can protect themselves and their customers from growing cyber threats. DFS works in partnership with the New York City–based nonprofit Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) to make the toolkit available. GCA is “dedicated to making […]
ALBANY — The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) provides a free cybersecurity toolkit for small businesses so they can protect themselves and their customers from growing cyber threats.
DFS works in partnership with the New York City–based nonprofit Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) to make the toolkit available. GCA is “dedicated to making the Internet a safer place by reducing cyber risk,” per its LinkedIn profile.
The areas covered in the cybersecurity toolkit include identifying hardware and software, updating defenses against cyber threats, strengthening passphrases and multi-factor authentication, backing up and recovering data, and protecting email systems.
“Individuals and businesses can take small steps to improve cyber hygiene that have a big impact on overall security. The first-in-the-nation cybersecurity regulation issued by the New York State Department of Financial Services protects consumers and businesses by requiring financial services companies to implement critical cybersecurity controls such as multifactor authentication,” New York State Superintendent of Financial Services Adrienne A. Harris said in a statement.
The free cybersecurity toolkit for small businesses and the DFS-developed sample cybersecurity policies can be found on the DFS website (www.dfs.ny.gov).
Details on the toolkit and comments from state officials on the cybersecurity topic were part of an Oct. 3 announcement by Gov. Kathy Hochul designating October as Cybersecurity Awareness Month in New York. It’s part of joint state and national efforts to “engage and educate” the public about cybersecurity and provide tools and resources to help them stay safe online, Hochul’s office said.
The theme for the 19th annual Cybersecurity Awareness Month — “See Yourself in Cyber” — focuses on the growing importance of cybersecurity and encourages people and organizations to “take the necessary measures to protect themselves in an increasingly connected world.”
Each week in Cybersecurity Awareness Month focuses on a different topic. The topics include understanding and implementing basic cyber hygiene practices, including the creation of strong passphrases, using multi-factor authentication, performing software updates, and backing up data. They also include recognizing and reporting phishing attempts, whether they come through email, text messages, or chat boxes.
Information on pursuing a career in cybersecurity, making cybersecurity a “business priority” by ensuring products and processes are “secure by design,” and encouraging the consideration of cybersecurity when purchasing new internet-connected devices are also part of the discussion.
“Your digital safety is important to us,” Jackie Bray, commissioner of the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, said. “This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, each of us should take simple steps to keep ourselves and our organizations safe. Enable multi-factor authentication and use strong passphrases. And be vigilant to protect against phishing.”
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ALBANY — The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) provides a free cybersecurity toolkit for small businesses so they can protect themselves and their customers from growing cyber threats.
DFS works in partnership with the New York City–based nonprofit Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) to make the toolkit available. GCA is “dedicated to making the Internet a safer place by reducing cyber risk,” per its LinkedIn profile.
The areas covered in the cybersecurity toolkit include identifying hardware and software, updating defenses against cyber threats, strengthening passphrases and multi-factor authentication, backing up and recovering data, and protecting email systems.
“Individuals and businesses can take small steps to improve cyber hygiene that have a big impact on overall security. The first-in-the-nation cybersecurity regulation issued by the New York State Department of Financial Services protects consumers and businesses by requiring financial services companies to implement critical cybersecurity controls such as multifactor authentication,” New York State Superintendent of Financial Services Adrienne A. Harris said in a statement.
The free cybersecurity toolkit for small businesses and the DFS-developed sample cybersecurity policies can be found on the DFS website (www.dfs.ny.gov).
Details on the toolkit and comments from state officials on the cybersecurity topic were part of an Oct. 3 announcement by Gov. Kathy Hochul designating October as Cybersecurity Awareness Month in New York. It’s part of joint state and national efforts to “engage and educate” the public about cybersecurity and provide tools and resources to help them stay safe online, Hochul’s office said.
The theme for the 19th annual Cybersecurity Awareness Month — “See Yourself in Cyber” — focuses on the growing importance of cybersecurity and encourages people and organizations to “take the necessary measures to protect themselves in an increasingly connected world.”
Each week in Cybersecurity Awareness Month focuses on a different topic. The topics include understanding and implementing basic cyber hygiene practices, including the creation of strong passphrases, using multi-factor authentication, performing software updates, and backing up data. They also include recognizing and reporting phishing attempts, whether they come through email, text messages, or chat boxes.
Information on pursuing a career in cybersecurity, making cybersecurity a “business priority” by ensuring products and processes are “secure by design,” and encouraging the consideration of cybersecurity when purchasing new internet-connected devices are also part of the discussion.
“Your digital safety is important to us,” Jackie Bray, commissioner of the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, said. “This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, each of us should take simple steps to keep ourselves and our organizations safe. Enable multi-factor authentication and use strong passphrases. And be vigilant to protect against phishing.”
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ALBANY — The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) provides a free cybersecurity toolkit for small businesses so they can protect themselves and their customers from growing cyber threats. DFS works in partnership with the New York City–based nonprofit Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) to make the toolkit available. GCA is “dedicated to making […]
ALBANY — The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) provides a free cybersecurity toolkit for small businesses so they can protect themselves and their customers from growing cyber threats.
DFS works in partnership with the New York City–based nonprofit Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) to make the toolkit available. GCA is “dedicated to making the Internet a safer place by reducing cyber risk,” per its LinkedIn profile.
The areas covered in the cybersecurity toolkit include identifying hardware and software, updating defenses against cyber threats, strengthening passphrases and multi-factor authentication, backing up and recovering data, and protecting email systems.
“Individuals and businesses can take small steps to improve cyber hygiene that have a big impact on overall security. The first-in-the-nation cybersecurity regulation issued by the New York State Department of Financial Services protects consumers and businesses by requiring financial services companies to implement critical cybersecurity controls such as multifactor authentication,” New York State Superintendent of Financial Services Adrienne A. Harris said in a statement.
The free cybersecurity toolkit for small businesses and the DFS-developed sample cybersecurity policies can be found on the DFS website (www.dfs.ny.gov).
Details on the toolkit and comments from state officials on the cybersecurity topic were part of an Oct. 3 announcement by Gov. Kathy Hochul designating October as Cybersecurity Awareness Month in New York. It’s part of joint state and national efforts to “engage and educate” the public about cybersecurity and provide tools and resources to help them stay safe online, Hochul’s office said.
The theme for the 19th annual Cybersecurity Awareness Month — “See Yourself in Cyber” — focuses on the growing importance of cybersecurity and encourages people and organizations to “take the necessary measures to protect themselves in an increasingly connected world.”
Each week in Cybersecurity Awareness Month focuses on a different topic. The topics include understanding and implementing basic cyber hygiene practices, including the creation of strong passphrases, using multi-factor authentication, performing software updates, and backing up data. They also include recognizing and reporting phishing attempts, whether they come through email, text messages, or chat boxes.
Information on pursuing a career in cybersecurity, making cybersecurity a “business priority” by ensuring products and processes are “secure by design,” and encouraging the consideration of cybersecurity when purchasing new internet-connected devices are also part of the discussion.
“Your digital safety is important to us,” Jackie Bray, commissioner of the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, said. “This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, each of us should take simple steps to keep ourselves and our organizations safe. Enable multi-factor authentication and use strong passphrases. And be vigilant to protect against phishing.”
