Cybersecurity and Halloween

October is best known for Halloween, but did you know October is also National Cybersecurity Awareness Month? We must work together to protect and improve our nation’s cybersecurity.

So what does cybersecurity have in common with Halloween?  We can give you 5 comparisons.

Both can be very scary

Halloween is spooky, and there's always something new to spook you with.  There are numerous accounts of homicidal animals, devastating plagues, and deadly encounters. Cyberattacks can be equally terrifying as physical calamities, and both can have an effect on cybersecurity.

Ransomware, which locks your computer and demands money to free it and grant access to your data, is the ideal illustration of this. Keeping your operating system up to date is your best line of defence against ransomware. A backup of all your data is like avoiding a bullet if you become a ransomware victim. Cover the ransom? There are no guarantees, but that might work.

Trick or Treat?

Trick-or-treating is the highlight of the Halloween season. Children trick-or-treating at houses while wearing costumes ask for candy. It's interesting that few choose trick. For hackers, fooling is everything, and it's their reward when they succeed.

Phishing uses email deception to trick you into downloading an attachment or clicking a link. Businesses and consumers are both concerned about cybersecurity. Prevention? Teach your staff how to recognize and avoid online hazards. Examine phishing cases, and be quick to doubt and validate legitimacy using several methods, such as Google searching.

It’s a Masquerade Ball

Around Halloween, groups host masquerade parties when attendees dress up, but it's unclear who is wearing what or hiding their identity. Imagine attending a masquerade where everyone is dressed as a hacker except for you, who isn't. Hackers love to maintain their anonymity.

Time to Egg or TP The House!

On the eve of Halloween, vandalism occurs. Homes in particular communities that have the nicest delicacies locked inside are sometimes targeted. It's frequently the house on the block that has no outdoor lighting on or purposefully doesn't hand out any candy that receives egging and TPing. One property on the block that appears to be vacant is more susceptible to damage than the other well-lit properties with security signs, which is the correlation in this case. The same is true with hackers. In order to launch DNS or DDoS assaults, they investigate network defences in search of the one network that is the simplest to loot. Lesson: Avoid being the company with the neighbourhood's most exposed network. If you work in a niche sector like healthcare, go above and above the bare minimums required by law. Take this advice from DARKReading: “Businesses need to maintain constant vigilance on the techniques used to target them and continually evolve their defences to industry best practices.”

Black cats and black hats

Black cats are often connected to Halloween. It has to do with being associated with evil magic and being a witches' favourite pet. Black hats are the bad guy when it comes to cybersecurity. Black hats are cybercriminals who get into computers and take data, including passwords, emails, intellectual property, credit card numbers, or bank account information. Your company can hire white hats—the good guys in computing—to fight the black hats and utilize their hacking skills to alert you to network problems.

That’s 5 ways in which cybersecurity and Halloween are alike, and it seems most fitting to share during National Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

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