Since October 2012, the European Cyber Security Month is going live as a pilot plan across Europe. Inspired by the concept of other similar projects that were successfully implemented around the globe. One of them is the Stop. Think. Connect. campaign supported by the National Cyber Security Awareness Month in the United States.
The good news is that this year, we at ESET are also supporting this cause. As you know, we are not only providing security solutions to protect our users, but also we believe in raising awareness in our community through different channels. That’s why we are supporting the Cyber Security Month with our We Live Security Portal in 3 languages and activities in San Diego, United States. Also this month, on October 29th one of our Security Specialists, Thomas Uhlemann is going to be in Munich, Germany, holding a conference about “Antivirus is dead?” at the Sicherheit ist Chefsache Event. We will also be supporting the campaign with the following topics in We Live Security:
- Week of October 13th: Mac OS
- Week of October 20th: Botnets / Exploits
- Week of October 27th: Security in Social Networks
We remember that ESET is also part of Securing our eCity in the United States and Argentina Cibersegura, non-profit organizations that aim to create a safe digital neighborhood that protects every citizen through awareness programs, conferences and good practices.
One good thing about these initiatives is that we have the opportunity to get more people involved. In this case we also count with the support of the European Commission and the European Union Agency for Networking and Information Security among a lot of other companies. However, let’s see how this became so important and why.
How is the online criminal service industry?
According to the last report released a couple weeks ago from Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre, 2.8 billion people and over 10 billion devices around the world access the internet. This means the more people getting connected, the greater the attraction is for attackers to find new victims.
Additionally, the report states that the EU will still be one of the most important targets of cybercrime because of its advanced Internet infrastructure and progressively more Internet-dependent economies.
Who is behind cybercrime?
This is another interesting question that people have been asking since the first viruses were seen. According to BBC’s Interview with Troels Oerting, Head of European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), there are only around 100 cybercriminal masters behind global cybercrime scene. Despite of the number of these malicious minds, the one important thing to remember is that no matter how many people are behind Internet attacks, the impact on you as user is always considerable. The quantity of does not cybercriminals necessarily explain severity or the breadth of an attack, which means that people's information will still be intercepted, personal data compromised and money stolen.
How can we fight cybercrime and what can you do?
There are many ways to help. The most important thing is to keep safe when surfing by using a security solution and some good Internet practices. Here, you may also find interesting information about how to proceed when a company suffers a data breach and information could be compromised.
However, besides protecting yourself from these attacks, awareness is a powerful weapon. Therefore, we think that you may help informing yourself and helping to inform others. Remember, everyone could – and should – help spreading the word.
We wish you a safer Cyber Security Month!
