Please see below CUNY updates and look for weekly communications regarding cybersecurity.

By Patricia Kahn

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October is Cyber Security Awareness Month, a global effort to help everyone stay safe and protected when using technology whenever and however you connect. CUNY is once again participating in the National Cyber Security Awareness Month program run by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and the Cyber Security and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to create awareness about cyber security. This year’s awareness theme is “Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart.” Each week in October, we will provide information and tips from leading Cyber Security organizations on protecting yourself online. Our goal is to help you make the most of today’s technology…safely and securely.

Our weekly email themes are as follows: 

  • Week 1 (Oct. 4–Oct. 8) – Be Cyber Smart
  • Week 2 (Oct. 12 – Oct. 18) – Fight the Phish
  • Week 3 (Oct. 19 – Oct. 25) – Careers in Cyber Security
  • Week 4 (Oct. 26 – Oct. 31) – Cyber Security First

Facts and Figures:

  • The average total cost of a data breach in 2020 was $3.86 million and took an average of 280 days to identify and contain. (IBM)
  • The use of new breach techniques has boomed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 35% of breaches having leveraged new techniques in 2020. (Cynet)
  • 88% of data breaches are caused by human error. (Tessian)

Our weekly emails and supporting information are available from the National Cyber Security Awareness Month page on the CUNY Website. We also provide a growing security resources list on the CUNY Information Security pages. You may also want to subscribe to OUCH! — the world’s leading, free security awareness newsletter designed for technology users. 

If you have any questions about any of this information, please contact your college’s Information Security Manager

By Robert N. Berlinger, CISSP