By Chetrice Mosley-Romero

In the world of cybersecurity, being an optimist is, sometimes, a bit of a challenge.

That’s part of the reality, you might say, that comes with the fact that a cyberattack occurs every 39 seconds.

Yet, with the start of a New Year, it’s a great opportunity to ask ourselves questions about how we can do even the little things better and the huge difference that it can make in our everyday lives.

It’s with that kind of optimism, today, we celebrate National Technology Day!

Established in 2016, National Technology Day recognizes the way technology changes our world, and it honors the achievements, made through time, that’s helped all of us.

Because of that, there are lots of opportunities to celebrate our cyber technology successes and it starts, simply, by our continuing to follow the recommended best practices, as suggested by CISA (U.S. Cybersecurity Infrastructure & Security Agency). What’s more, these things are easy to do and make your life easier, including:

• Keep your software up to date
• Run up-to-date antivirus software
• Use strong passwords
• Change default usernames and passwords
• Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA)
• Install a firewall

In doing so, we provide ourselves – at home, at work or at school – with a greater measure of protection from being the victim of a cyber criminal or having our identity and/or our money stolen as a result of a cyber incident or data breach.

After all, we use products that are designed and manufactured using the latest technologies. In turn, these advancements enable us to do everything from keeping us organized while using our smartphones to monitoring the control systems in our vehicles that we rely on to safely drive down the road to work or take our kids to school.

And just as technology connects us and keeps us safe and healthy through the products we use, cybersecurity refers to the "...body of technologies, processes, and practices designed to protect networks, devices, and programs, as well as our personal and financial data from an attack, damage or unauthorized access.

All in all, it's why we use technology to protect ourselves and experience a peace of mind that comes from knowing that we are safe and secure.

For lots of other helpful tips and resources and how you can use cyber at home, at work, or at school, visit our State of Indiana Cybersecurity Hub Page and be sure to follow us on social media on Twitter and Facebook.