Raise Awareness by Doing Your Part: 17th Annual National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) Kicks Off Today

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Kicking off today, the 17th annual National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) is a partnership between private organizations and government that happens every October, aiming to raise awareness and help Americans stay secure online.

The 2020 theme is “Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart,” and “encourages individuals and organizations to own their role in protecting their part of cyberspace, stressing personal accountability and the importance of taking proactive steps to enhance cybersecurity,” according to the website.

This year’s emphasis is on protecting connected devices for home, work, and in the healthcare field.

Hikvision’s senior director of cybersecurity, Chuck Davis, discussed connected IoT (Internet of things) device vulnerabilities in this blog. In the article, he describes that IoT devices encompass everything from smart light bulbs, smart refrigerators, IP video cameras, and even newer model vehicles that are often computers and/or connected to the Internet.

“Why is it important to remember that these things are computers? It's important because you need to protect those devices from cyberattack, the same way you protect a computer system. All computers, including all IoT devices, have vulnerabilities. When those vulnerabilities are discovered and vendors release patches, frequently it is the end user who is responsible for installing those patches. If left unpatched, the IoT device is vulnerable to attack,” said Davis, in the blog.

Learn more about automatic updates in this Hikvision article on protecting your home network from vulnerabilities.

Hikvision aims to educate people and provide resources to empower them to stay safe, during NCSAM, and all year round. Check out our catalog of cybersecurity blogs for more. And, visit us later this month when we’ll offer additional tips related to cybersecurity month.

Cybersecurity