Taking online security to new heights

Peter Dinham
Monday, 19 October 2009 08:10

Business IT - Security

America takes national security very seriously and that applies, too, to Internet security, with no-less than President Obama going online with a video address calling on all Americans to heed a cybersecurity call-to-action and for government, the private sector and everyday citizens to focus on their own responsibilities for security on the net.

What the United States is doing to raise awareness about cyber security is just as important for all Australians, state and federal governments, government agencies and business and industry, and a timely message that all of us need to be on our guard to the multitude of cyberthreats circulating around the Internet.


This month is national cyber security month in the US, with hundreds of federal, state and local government agencies, companies, non-profits and everyday citizens deploying themselves to educate millions of Americans about the importance of online security to themselves, their communities and the nation.


In his message, equally as relevant and important to Australians, President Obama specifically called on all Americans to remember three basic cybersecurity principles:


•    Keep security and software systems up-to-date and beware of suspicious email

•    Always know who you are dealing with online

•    Never give out your personal or financial information until you verify the recipient is legitimate


And, Michael Kaiser, executive director of the not-for-profit National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), called on Americans to heed the President’s message, saying that "this unprecedented focus at the highest levels of our government highlights the importance of cybersecurity to our nation's economy, national security, and everyday life.”


According to Kaiser, “through collaboration with the government, corporate, non-profit and academic sectors, the mission of the NCSA is to empower a digital citizenry to use the Internet securely and safely protecting themselves, the networks they use, and the cyber infrastructure.”


The US national cyber security awareness month has been organised to educate the American public, businesses, schools and government agencies about ways to secure their part of cyber space, computers and the country’s critical infrastructure. As well as the NCSA, it is supported by the US Department of Homeland Security National Cyber Security Division (NCSD),  the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), and other partners, to educate the American public, businesses, schools and government agencies about ways to secure their part of cyber space, computers and America's critical infrastructure.