National Preparedness Month (NPM) promotes family and community disaster and emergency planning. This year’s theme is “Prepared, Not Scared.”
Although most people understand that being prepared is essential to getting through an emergency such as a natural disaster, there is less awareness about the importance of cybersecurity preparedness. Cybersecurity preparedness is often a deciding factor on how much an impact a cyber-related event—such as a ransomware infection, identify theft, or data breach—has on an individual or an organization.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) encourages individuals and organizations to develop their own cyber emergency response plans that include guidance on protections and controls such as keeping software and operating systems updated, regularly backing up files, keeping encrypted copies of important documents offline, and routinely running anti-virus scans.
Learn more about National Preparedness Month at Ready.gov/September and see Ready.gov/Cybersecurity and the following CISA Tips for resources on preparing for, and responding to, unexpected cyber-related events: