Keeping online safety top of mind during 20th annual Cybersecurity Awareness month
Oct. 6, 2023
By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast facts:
- FBI: Arkansas had $15.3 million in cybercrime losses in 2022
- Multi-factor authentication, reporting phishing key steps to security
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LITTLE ROCK — From online credit card fraud to corporate information breaches, cybercrime costs individuals and organizations billions of dollars each year, making cybersecurity a necessity in a very connected world.
“In 2022 alone, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received nearly 850,000
complaints with losses totaling more than $10.3 billion,” said Diana Morian, director
of Information Technology for the Cooperative Extension Service. “Other sources project
losses through 2028 to be in the trillions of dollars.”
Arkansas ranked No. 41 on the FBI’s list with $15.3 million in losses to cybercrime.
“Cybersecurity is something we cannot take for granted. Security of our online assets is important to maintain the integrity of our educational outreach,” she said. “That’s why we are among the organizations committed to emphasizing cybersecurity education during the 20th annual Cybersecurity Awareness Month.”
Founded in 2004, Cybersecurity Awareness Month, held each October, is an initiative aimed at promoting cybersecurity awareness and best practices. Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a collaborative effort among businesses, government agencies, colleges and universities, associations, nonprofit organizations, tribal communities, and individuals committed to educating others on online safety.
The theme of Cybersecurity Awareness Month is “Secure Our World,” with messaging on four key cybersecurity best practices:
- Understand the benefits of using a password manager and dispel existing myths around password manager security and ease of use.
- Turning on multi-factor authentication on personal devices and business networks.
- Recognize and report phishing — still one of the primary threat actions used by cybercriminals today.
- Install updates on a regular basis and turning on automated updates.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month has the goal of providing everyone with the information
they need to stay safer and more secure online. The online safety awareness and education
initiative is co-managed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the National Cybersecurity Alliance.
For more information about Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2023 and how to participate in a wide variety of activities, visit cisa.gov/cybersecurity-awareness-month and staysafeonline.org/cybersecurity-awareness-month/. You can also follow and use the hashtag #CybersecurityAwarenessMonth and #SecureOurWorld on social media throughout the month.
The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen
agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption
of best practices. The Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work
within the nation’s historic land grant education system through the Agricultural
Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas
System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension
and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex,
gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital
or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and
is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media contact:
Mary Hightower
Chief Communications Officer
mhightower@uada.edu