National Cybersecurity Awareness Month

This October, Kreative participated in CISA’s annual Cybersecurity Awareness Month to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity across our Nation, ensuring that all Americans have the resources they need to be safer and more secure online. CISA has been toting the “Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart” campaign for 18 years now. This evergreen theme 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.

Kreative has chosen to participate in CISA’s campaign for the past few years now because we strongly believe in the safe cyber practices that they promote. We value the importance of their message and want to share these practices with our stakeholders to encourage them to be cyber smart!

Each week Kreative helped CISA spread awareness about a different cybersecurity topic. We touched on several ‘cyber tricks’ such as phishing, domain spoofing, ransomware, hacking, and insider threats while also including tips on how to defend against these threats cybercriminals impose. No matter the topic, we found that the information has been pertinent to every organization from one time or another.

Check out the full summary of each week’s topics below!

Week 1: Be Cyber Smart

The first week of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month focused on “Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart”. The theme promotes the message that cybersecurity starts with you! Following the tips highlighted in the figure above is everyone’s responsibility. There are currently an estimated 5.2 billion Internet users—over 65% of the world’s population! This number will only grow, making the need to do your due diligence and be cyber smart more important than ever.

Week 2: Fight the Phish!

Week two focused on steps individuals and organizations can take to reduce their risks to phishing and ransomware. This year has seen an increase in phishing incidents that often lead to ransomware attacks. These attacks disrupt the way we work, learn, and socialize. With our homes, schools, and businesses more connected than ever, it’s vital to educate email and internet users about the six most common phishing attempts seen in figure 2 and how to spot them.

Week 3: Explore, Experience, Share

Week three of Cybersecurity Awareness Month highlighted the Cybersecurity Career Awareness Week led by National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE). The week-long campaign aimed to inspire and promote the exploration of cybersecurity careers. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of cybersecurity jobs is expected to increase by 31 percent between 2019 and 2029. The COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated this demand with many industries deploying remote working capabilities.

At Kreative, we are home to many talented cybersecurity SMEs who assist us in our efforts to provide security compliance support services to our customers. We are fortunate to have them on our team, and hope to see more individuals exercise their passion for cybersecurity and keeping information safe by pursuing a career in cyber!

Week 4: Cybersecurity First

The fourth and final week of Cybersecurity Awareness Month emphasized how cybersecurity is a year-round effort and should be a top priority for individuals and organizations especially when they create or buy new devices and connected services.

At Kreative, we take cybersecurity seriously every day and we tell our customers to do the same! We are experts in guiding organizations through the process of achieving DFARS Compliance by implementing NIST 800-171 security measures for defense against unwarranted cyber incidents. United States Department of Defense contractors that collect, store, or transmit Covered Defense Information (CDI) or Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) are required to comply with DFARS 7012 compliance regulations. All prime contractors and their subcontractors must comply with DFARS or risk losing their corresponding government contract.

Cyber-attacks and incidents can and do happen every day. Organizations must take the proper steps to ensure they are proactive rather than reactive year-round when it comes to cybersecurity. CISA’s NCSAM spreads awareness about many important topics concerning the most basic tactics to fight off cyber-threats, but your organization’s efforts to against defend cyber-attacks should not stop there!

Kreative can help your organization stay #CyberSmart

We aren’t just experts on DFARS compliance through the implementation of NIST standards, Kreative is also highly skilled and experienced at implementing the ISO 27001:2013 standard. This standard is the specification for an Information Security Management System (ISMS) – a systematic approach to managing sensitive company information so that it remains secure.

As of March 2021, Kreative is also a CMMC-AB certified RPO. The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) aims to provide better flexibility among contractors working with the DoD to meet the information security requirements relevant to the type of work they perform. It offers a path to the security requirements needed to perform work on increasingly sensitive contracts. If you currently work with CUI or plan to soon, CMMC will be a requirement for your organization. To learn more, visit our CMMC webpage here.

If your organization needs help identifying which security model fits its business needs, contact Kreative today! Email us at info@kreativecorp.com OR request a free consultation here.