Cybersecurity Awareness Month turns 18 this October 2021. And just like other 18-year olds, it's graduated from dealing with fairly straight-forward problems to facing complex issues. But National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) Interim Executive Director Lisa Plaggemier tells us, that there are a few simple steps individuals and businesses can take to Be Cyber Smart (that's also #becybersmart). Her top two: strong passwords and MFA (multifactor authentication). Lisa also discusses the origins of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the evolution of the threat landscape, how awareness has improved, challenges in cyber careers, and much more. Find resources about the month, and general cyber awareness tips at www.staysafeonline.org. In the news, we cover a cyber awareness survey of EU businesses, and two ransomware attacks, one on TV and another on candy. Is nothing sacred? See the headlines: Deloitte surveys: businesses have a false sense of cybersecurity caused by positive self-evaluation of their capabilities and the lack of basic defense efforts https://business-review.eu/tech/online/deloitte-surveys-businesses-have-a-false-sense-of-cybersecurity-caused-by-positive-self-evaluation-of-their-capabilities-and-the-lack-of-basic-defense-efforts-224450  Hacking tool linked with Russian crime ring used in Sinclair ransomware attack, analysts say https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/20/media/sinclair-broadcast-evil-corp-ransomware/index.html Sticky business: Ransomware hits U.S. candymaker ahead of Halloween https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/ransomware-hits-us-candymaker-ahead-halloween-rcna3391 Get info on all things network security through our blog, https://firewalls.com/blog. And please do reach out, as we want to hear from you. Suggest an episode topic, ask a question, or just say hi in a review, or by emailing [email protected]. New episodes are normally released every other Wednesday, so subscribe/follow to ensure you get the latest first - and again, please rate and review. Thanks for listening!