Cybersecurity is everyone’s concern. It is not only for professionals in the office who are involved in information technology and cybersecurity. No one is a minor player in ensuring a safe digital world.
Being aware of cybersecurity should be taken as a personal duty that comes with the use of technology that’s now deeply intertwined with our lives. Think of the rise in the use of smartphones, connected home devices, mobility gadgets, leisure and sports devices – technology is informing, guiding, entertaining, and helping make decisions for us.
A person using a smart phone or gadget should take time to know about cybersecurity because of the danger cybercrime can bring not only to the user but also to family and friends. A smart phone, for example, does not only function as a gadget to communicate to people but it also holds personal information like names, addresses, and contact information of family members and friends, bank account and credit card numbers, and other data. That information can be used by cybercriminals to ruin a person’s finances, businesses, or even status in the community. In short, a cybercrime can ruin a person’s life.
The importance of a safe digital world has led many countries to observe Cybersecurity Awareness Month every October since 2004. This global initiative to promote cybersecurity is a collaborative effort among businesses, government agencies, colleges and universities, private organizations, and communities.
“Secure Our World,” the theme of global Cybersecurity Awareness Month, aims to educate people on the new ways to secure the digital world from new threats. Companies behind this global movement provide the public with information to stay safer and more secure online.
President Marcos has seen the importance of supporting this initiative and has signed a proclamation moving our observance of Cybersecurity Awareness Month from September to October of every year. Proclamation No. 353, signed on Oct. 2, 2023, cites the need to amend the original Proclamation No. 2054 issued in 2010 “in order to synchronize the Philippines with the international observance of the 'Cybersecurity Awareness Month' in October and to further signify the country's unwavering commitment toward a unified approach in the digital era of governance.”
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has been tasked to lead the observance of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Its theme for the observance is “Sama-sama para sa Cybersecuridad,” to emphasize “our collective role in improving our country’s cybersecurity posture and enabling a digitally safer Philippines.”
According to President Marcos, one of the strategies under his Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028 is to ensure safety and security in cyber and physical spaces and adopt a legal framework to strengthen cybersecurity and policies on minimum information security standards.
Individuals, families, organizations, businesses, companies should take time to educate themselves on how to be safe in the digital world. It starts with a few simple things, one of them, a secure password. Take the step to learn about multifactor authentication on personal devices and business networks. Then learn how to recognize phishing, a scheme still used by cybercriminals today because many people fall for it.
Remember, a smart gadget is not only to call or text a friend. It holds valuable information about you and your loved ones. Protect them by getting to know how to be secure in this digital world.