While the average person may think that they have a fairly decent grasp on cybersecurity with properly developed habits and impeccable cyber-hygiene practices, the reality is that we don\u2019t have to look far for proof of the opposite \u2013 the annual roundups of most common passwords paint a rather ghastly picture; Additionally, the world has never been more connected when it comes to tech and the number of new digital technologies will just increase over the years; that\u2019s why cybersecurity (and being cyber-smart) matters. By committing to these campaigns, countries are helping foster proper cybersecurity habits in their citizens and so help them protect their valuable data and become more responsible netizens.<\/p>\n After all, better cybersecurity is a collective responsibility, and by adopting proper cyber-hygiene practices, both in our work and personal lives, we are making sure that cybercriminals have fewer entry points into devices, thus shrinking the threat landscape.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re skeptical about how that works, here are a few examples for illustration. If you don\u2019t adopt these habits as part of your personal life and, for example, keep on\u00a0recycling passwords<\/a>, in the worst case scenario, a bad actor will gain access to your personal data and could potentially commit identity theft, clean out your accounts, damage your reputation and credit, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. The immediate impact is on you and probably your loved ones.<\/p>\n Moving on to the professional side of things, having lax cybersecurity habits in a work environment can be detrimental to thousands of people. That goes double for people who are part of critical infrastructure.\u00a0The Colonial Pipeline attack<\/a>\u00a0particularly stands out in recent memory; one pilfered password allowed bad actors to get a foothold in the system and shut it down with ransomware. In another case, a hacker attempted to poison\u00a0the water supply in a city in Florida<\/a>. And let\u2019s not forget about all the healthcare facilities that were hit by ransomware and couldn\u2019t provide patients with proper treatment.<\/p>\n Most of these incidents could have been averted if proper cybersecurity measures had been implemented and people had been cyber-smart.<\/p>\n So how do you start taking cybersecurity seriously and be cyber-smart? Well, as clich\u00e9d as it may sound, one of the best things you can do is getting the basics right.<\/p>\n That means when it comes to passwords, you should definitely opt for a\u00a0strong passphrase<\/a>\u00a0rather than a simple password you can easily memorize, and you should always do your best to avoid the\u00a0cardinal sins of password creation<\/a>. If you\u2019re the type of person who has dozens upon dozens of passwords, you\u2019d probably do well to use a\u00a0password manager<\/a>, which will simplify the whole task of creating and memorizing passwords to remembering just one.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.enerjigazetesi.ist\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/ekim-ayi-avrupa-da-siber-guvenlik-ayi-olarak-kutlaniyor-1.jpg\")
just take a look at the\u00a0worst passwords of 2020<\/a>, for example.<\/p>\nThe risks of underestimating cybersecurity<\/h2>\n
How to #BeCyberSmart<\/span><\/h2>\n