Pi Day is Cybersecurity Day. Why? Because EVERY DAY is Cybersecurity Day. Cyber crime has become so pervasive that not a day goes by without large numbers of people affected by it. Here are some astonishing statistics.
- Over 1.5 million people are estimated to be affected by cyber crime daily, world-wide.
- About 30,000 websites are affected by malware every single day.
- It takes just seconds to crack a lowercase password that is 6 characters long.
- An average of about 25,000 Americans get their identities stolen each day.
- More than 4000 ransomware attacks happen every day, as per the FBI.
- Roughly 156 million phishing emails are sent globally every day.
This is why Pi Day is Cybersecurity Day. Every day is Cybersecurity Day. Cybersecurity and Cyberhygiene should be top of mind for all of us, every day. Its just like locking your door every morning when you leave home. Cyber hygiene needs to become a habit. No more sharing passwords. Avoid reusing passwords across applications. Set complex passwords. Use multi-factor authentication. Avoid clicking on unknown links – always check the address of the sending email. Report phishing attacks. Keep your devices updated. Change passwords frequently. Do not connect to public Wi-Fi without using a VPN. Backup your valuable data regularly. The list goes on and on.
So while you are enjoying pizza on Pi Day, do give a bit of thought as to what Cyber hygiene habit you will improve starting today. Write it down, mark it on your calendar as a recurring habit – one that you will remember to follow on a daily basis. Habits can be changed as long as there is a conscious, repeated effort to do so. Click here to read our blog post about Cyber Hygiene.
Pi Day is Cybersecurity Day. Enjoy your pizza. Change a habit. Keep Cybersecurity on top of your mind every day.
By Rema Deo.
