12 Cyber Security Tools to Keep Your Business or School Safe

Happy Hacktober! We’re already well into this, the 15th annual National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. NCSAM is a joint effort between the U.S. government and various businesses to raise awareness of cyber security and emphasize the importance of protecting your organization with cyber security tools and education.

Make no mistake: the need for education continues and cyberattacks are still on the rise. According to data from the Department of Homeland Security, 600,000 personal and business accounts are hacked every day and 47% of all American adults have had their personal information exposed by cyber criminals. What’s surprising is that Millennials, despite having grown up in a digital world, are particularly vulnerable to cybercrimes, with 44% of them victims of online crime in the past year alone.

Get Smarter, Get Safer

The best protection is education. The principle behind Hacktober, which has remained the same since the beginning, is the need to promote proactive, smart behavior in organizations in order to foster a security-conscious culture. Fortunately, there are thousands of cyber security tools and resources available, whether for individuals, SMBs, schools or other organizations.

We’ve collected some of our favorite cyber security tools here. Some of these have been created specifically for Hacktober, and others are evergreen. We hope this list of resources can help you stay more secure.

Cyber Security Tools for Small Businesses

1. This Cybersecurity Awareness Toolkit for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses was published by the Cyber Security Alliance, Facebook and MediaPro specifically for National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. It includes a great deal of information on how to create your own internal company Hacktober awareness kit and, more importantly, tips on how to implement your own cyber security protocols.
2. This 30-minute online assessment tool from the Michigan Small Business Development Center (SBDC) helps small and medium-sized businesses evaluate their own cyber risks.
3. The U.S. Small Business Administration offers a free cyber security course for small businesses.

Cyber Security Tools for Schools

1. A resource library from the Higher Education Information Security Council contains cyber security tools specifically targeted for colleges and universities including brochures, banners and more.
2. k12cybersecure.com is a site filled with “a curated list of recent information and resources to help U.S. public K-12 school leaders and policymakers navigate cybersecurity and related issues.” There are lots of links to articles and reports.

Cyber Security Tools for Everyone

1. This 2018 Toolkit from the Department of Homeland Security was created for National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This is a comprehensive report that includes government contact information, cyber security tips, a glossary of terms and a list of online cyber security tools.
2. The national STOP. THINK. CONNECT™ campaign is a “national public awareness campaign aimed at increasing the understanding of cyber threats and empowering the American public to be safer and more secure online.” The STOP, THINK, CONNECT website has materials you can display at your organization, plus videos and resources aimed specifically for small businesses and educators.
3. Staysafeonline.org is a website from the National Security Alliance that features a list of upcoming cyber security conferences, online safety basics, advice on how to get your organization involved in cyber security, and many other resources.
4. Create your own custom cyber security planning guide for your organization with the help of this cyberplanner tool from the FCC.
5. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce offers cyber security tools such as tip cards, videos and posters that provide business security essentials.
6. US-CERT (The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team) provides “no-cost, voluntary, non-technical assessment to evaluate an organization’s operational resilience and cybersecurity practices.” They also offer a self-assessment package, information sheets, downloadable guides and more.
7. The National Institute of Standards & Technology developed a CyberSecurity Framework that recommends standards, guidelines and best practices to manage cybersecurity risk for organizations.
   We know we promised 12 tools, a solid dozen online resources, but we must add a few more—
8. While not specifically created for Hacktober, we’ve published many blog posts that detail cyber security across a wide range of topics including blog posts on Phishing Tactics (part 1 and part 2), How to Spot a Phishing Email, Why Password Security Is Important for Your Business, How to Create Your School Cyber-Threat Strategy, The Growing Threat of IoT, and We’re Only Human: The Importance of Security Awareness Training.

There are many more cyber security tools out there, and we hope you’ll find the ones listed here, or others, are exactly what you need to create a more secure organization.

The Best Resource: DYOPATH

DYOPATH is your cyber security expert, with both the experience and resources to protect your organization. We provide a comprehensive menu of security options including audits, penetration testing, vulnerability scans, data loss prevention, ethical hacking/employee training, managed security incident event management (SIEM), managed advanced malware protection, next generation firewalls and email/content filtering. We also can help you rebound from an attack or natural disaster with our incident response services. Of all the vast array of cyber security tools that protect your organization, one of the easiest steps to take is simply calling DYOPATH.

Ask us how to get started!