If you’re reading this blog, you probably observe cybersecurity awareness year-round, not just during the annual observance of Cybersecurity Awareness Month each October. But, as a managed service provider (MSP), you also likely appreciate any opportunity to draw attention to the important work you do 365 days a year. In this edition of Tech Time Warp, we invite you to revisit the origins of this important observance and reflect on how far cybersecurity awareness has come.
For the past 22 years, Cybersecurity Awareness Month has done just that. The first Cybersecurity Awareness Month was coordinated in October 2004 by the National Cybersecurity Alliance and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In those simpler times—before smartphones, before omnipresent artificial intelligence (AI)—the observance focused on public service announcements about tasks such as updating your antivirus software. The idea was to mirror annual reminders to change batteries in smoke detectors.
As the cyber world grew increasingly complex, so did Cybersecurity Awareness Month. For nearly a decade between 2009 and 2018, the theme was “Our Shared Responsibility,” highlighting the responsibility of everyone from the individual to the Fortune 500 company in ensuring cybersecurity. The 2010 observance included the kickoff of the STOP. THINK.CONNECT. campaign—a national educational initiative. Beginning in 2011, “Our Shared Responsibility” became an umbrella theme for four weekly themes.
Reinforcing the basics
This year, you’ll hear of two efforts. The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is focusing on “Building a Cyber Strong America,” highlighting the cybersecurity responsibilities of governmental bodies as well as small and medium businesses. The theme for the National Cybersecurity Alliance is “Stay Safe Online,” with a focus on the “Core 4” cybersecurity strategies: use of strong passwords and a password manager, reliance on multifactor authentication, recognition (and reporting) of scams, and the perennial need to update software.
The alliance’s annual “Oh Behave!” report shows the need to repeat these messages. Among other findings, the 2025 edition reports only 56 percent of people do routinely update their software, and less than half back-up important data. There’s clearly still work to do. As we mark another Cybersecurity Awareness Month, it’s clear that while progress has been made, the fundamentals still matter more than ever.
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Photo: AleXandarM / Shutterstock
This post originally appeared on Smarter MSP.