A cyber attack can cripple an economy, devastate digital and physical infrastructure and leave our citizens vulnerable to other threats.
October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, and Arizona is working diligently to protect our families and businesses from cyber attacks.
- This month and next, the Department of Administration’s (ADOA) Arizona Strategic Enterprise Technology (ASET) office will be hosting four cyber security exercises (one state exercise and three regional exercises) to help prepare those vulnerable to attacks.
- Our state proudly serves as home of the Arizona Cyber Threat Response Alliance (ACTRA), one of the first Information Sharing and Analysis Organizations (ISAO) in the nation. ACTRA has been instrumental in forming public and private partnerships to help foster collaborative information-sharing about cyber threats to better protect the citizens and businesses throughout our state.
- Arizona is one of only 3 states to have a Cyber Warfare Range, which provides a real-world environment for students and IT professionals to advance their cyber security skills.
Arizona aims to be a best-practices model nationwide when it comes to sharing information, a vital component of protecting ourselves from the serious risk of cyber attacks.
It doesn’t matter who you are; everyone, from a computer expert to a first-time computer user, can make a difference in protecting their own and others’ important information online.
We encourage all Americans to take a moment to remind themselves about the importance of good “cyber hygiene.”
- Ensure you have strong passwords to your online accounts.
- Change those passwords appropriately.
- Protect yourself and your organization from spear phishing attempts.
- Don’t open links or attachments from someone you don’t know or trust.
There is no silver bullet when it comes to protecting ourselves online, but these are a few of the many ways to keep yourself (and our community) safe from a cyber attack.
The state of Arizona will continue to work vigorously to protect from this ongoing threat.
