This tumultuous year has brought paradigm shifts across every facet of daily life. A global pandemic has pushed much of our lives online\u2014work, school, entertainment, shopping, and socializing. But one thing remains unchanged: people everywhere share a common need for safety. Today, our need for personal safety includes the digital realm. At Microsoft, we believe that a secure online experience helps empower people to do more, create more, and have trust in the technology that connects us all. It\u2019s no wonder that cybersecurity is a vital part of everything we build.<\/p>\n
“People are both my first and last line of defense” –Bret Arsenault, Microsoft Chief Information Security Officer<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Now as we kick off\u00a0<\/span>Cybersecurity Awareness Month<\/span><\/a>, it\u2019s worth taking a moment to reflect on the purpose of this initiative <\/span>and how\u00a0<\/span>Microsoft is helping<\/span>\u00a0to empower<\/span>\u00a0people around the world\u00a0<\/span>with\u00a0<\/span>seamless, integrated security. We want to<\/span>\u00a0help to create a safer world for everyone so that<\/span>\u00a0online learning, remote work, community building<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>even shopping online<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>can be enriching experiences<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
My first 12\u00a0<\/span>calendar\u00a0<\/span>weeks at Microsoft have\u00a0<\/span>been packed\u2014<\/span>from my first introduction at\u00a0<\/span>Microsoft Inspire<\/span><\/a> to sharing our security, compliance, and identity innovations at\u00a0<\/span>Microsoft Ignite<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>last w<\/span>eek. In between, we\u2019ve shared\u00a0<\/span>insights from our customers<\/span><\/a>\u00a0about their journeys to create a more secure workplace during this time of\u00a0<\/span>global<\/span>\u00a0transformation.\u00a0<\/span>I\u2019m<\/span>\u00a0committed to listening and learning from all of you,<\/span>\u00a0and excited to share my enthusiasm for this dynamic\u00a0<\/span>industry.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Throughout<\/span>\u00a0October<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0Microsoft will join the\u00a0<\/span>National Cyber<\/span>s<\/span>ecurity Alliance<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and other industry partners to\u00a0<\/span>promote<\/span>\u00a0online safety for consumers and businesses.\u00a0<\/span>I\u2019m<\/span>\u00a0energized to share our plans to empower people and organizations worldwide and invite you to learn more about our efforts.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Security awareness for\u00a0all<\/h2>\n
Most of us think\u00a0<\/span>we\u2019re<\/span>\u00a0too smart to fall for a phishing scam, and our confidence\u00a0<\/span>only grows<\/span>\u00a0when we\u2019re logged onto a company network.\u00a0<\/span>S<\/span>tatistics show that nearly\u00a0<\/span>one in three security breaches starts with a phishing attack<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>cost<\/span>ing<\/span> the affected organization an average of\u00a0<\/span>$1.4 million<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>W<\/span>ith<\/span>\u00a0the rise in people working from home, new\u00a0<\/span>attacks<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>such as\u00a0<\/span>consent phishing<\/span><\/a>\u00a0have cropped up to take advantage of\u00a0<\/span>remote workers dealing with home-life distractions<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Terranova<\/span><\/a>\u00a0has\u00a0<\/span>partnered with Microsoft to create the\u00a0<\/span>Gone Phishing Tournament<\/span><\/a>\u2122<\/span>\u00a0during October,<\/span>\u00a0us<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0real lures (phishing emails)\u00a0<\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>capture<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>accurate<\/span> click-through<\/span>\u00a0statistics<\/span>\u2014<\/span>providing organizations with data-backed insights to grow their security awareness programs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Microsoft security help and<\/span>\u00a0learning<\/span><\/a>\u00a0will feature five new articles<\/span>\u00a0during October<\/span>\u2014localized for 36 languages and\u00a0<\/span>updating every Monday<\/span>\u2014each\u00a0<\/span>covering security topics that affect\u00a0<\/span>all types of<\/span>\u00a0users<\/span>. The first of which,\u00a0<\/span>3\u00a0<\/span>e<\/span>asy\u00a0<\/span>t<\/span>ips to\u00a0<\/span>i<\/span>mprove\u00a0<\/span>c<\/span>ybersecurity<\/span><\/a>, provide<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0information on\u00a0<\/span>how to uninstall unused apps that might be compromising your security, as well as how to get rid of unwanted browser extensions.\u00a0<\/span>Visitors<\/span>\u00a0also learn how to do a deep scan for malware using\u00a0<\/span>Microsoft Defender Offline<\/span>\u00a0and how to<\/span>\u00a0reset their device<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0to factory settings using Windows 10.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Th<\/span>is<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>week of October 5<\/span>, \u201cKeys to the kingdom: Securing your devices and accounts<\/a>\u201d explains how <\/span>multifactor authentication (MFA)<\/span>\u00a0works,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>as well as the advantages of using the free\u00a0<\/span>Microsoft Authenticator<\/span><\/a>\u00a0app to secure your smartphone.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Look for more articles on secure networking, scams and attacks, and backup and recovery to follow throughout the month.\u00a0<\/span>Year \u2018round<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span>Microsoft security help\u00a0<\/span>&<\/span>\u00a0learning<\/span>\u00a0page<\/span>\u00a0is updated with educational content for students, parents, remote workers and anyone who wants\u00a0<\/span>to arm themselves with\u00a0<\/span>up-to-date information on protecting against cyber threats.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
Cybersecurity\u00a0workshops<\/h2>\n