HELSINKI, Sept. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Cyber security provider F-Secure has become a 2021 STOP.THINK.CONNECT partner and a champion to support Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which marks its 18th year this October. The Champions Program brings together leaders from business, academia, government and community groups to promote the awareness of online safety and privacy.

“We’re proud to add our voice to this essential online safety awareness and education initiative,” said Brian Murray, who leads F-Secure’s North America Operator Business. “We know that we can only ask others to do their part to help secure our digital society if we do ours.”

New F-Secure research reveals how crucial the effort to build cyber security awareness is.

An international survey that has tracked consumers’ cyber security attitudes and behaviors since 2015 shows that concerns about cyber threats have risen to new heights, prompting users to take new steps to protect themselves:*

• The share of internet users who say they feel the internet has become a more dangerous place and have changed their online behavior as a result has risen from 58% in 2015 to 65% in 2021.
• 59% say their data privacy worries are on the rise resulting in new habits, up from 52% in 2015.

“Awareness is key, but it can be worse than useless if you don’t know what to do with it,” said Murray. “We’re thrilled consumers are matching their anxieties with action. And we want to do our best to make sure they’re taking the right actions.”

Cybersecurity Awareness Month’s main focus areas offer concrete steps everyone can take to protect their devices, data and identity. These include:

• Take steps to improve cyber hygiene, including using strong passphrases and multi-factor authentication along with running secure, updated software.
• Recognize and report phishing attempts whether it’s through email, text messages, or chat boxes.
• Empower individuals to join the mission of securing our online world by considering a career in cyber security.

“Technology gives us so much, still there are costs to being so connected,” said Murray. “With awareness backed by action, we can reduce those costs and do even more online.”

Join the effort and find resources from the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) here and find out more about Cybersecurity Awareness Month and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) here.

To get more cyber security safety insights from F-Secure experts, visit our Connected Life YouTube page.

*Source: F-Secure Consumer Surveys conducted in 2015 and 2021 in Brazil, France, Germany, UK, and US, n=4000 (800 respondents per country).

About Cybersecurity Awareness Month

Cybersecurity Awareness Month is designed to engage and educate public- and private-sector partners through events and initiatives with the goal of raising awareness about cybersecurity to increase the resiliency of the nation in the event of a cyber incident. Since the Presidential proclamation establishing Cybersecurity Awareness Month in 2004, the initiative has been formally recognized by Congress, federal, state and local governments and leaders from industry and academia. This united effort is necessary to maintain a cyberspace that is safer and more resilient and remains a source of tremendous opportunity and growth for years to come. For more information, visit staysafeonline.org/cybersecurity-awareness-month/ 

About National Cyber Security Alliance

The National Cyber Security Alliance is a nonprofit alliance on a mission to create a more secure connected world.  We enable powerful, public-private partnerships in our mission to educate and inspire individuals to protect themselves, their families and their organizations for the collective good.  Our primary partners are the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and our Board of Directors, which includes representatives from ADP; AIG; Bank of America; Cofense; Discover; Eli Lilly and Company; ESET North America; Facebook; KnowBe4; La-Z-Boy; Lenovo; Marriott International; Mastercard; Microsoft; Mimecast; NortonLifeLock; Paubox; Proofpoint; Raytheon; Terranova Security; US Bank; VISA; Wells Fargo. The National Cyber Security Alliance’s core efforts include Cybersecurity Awareness Month (October); Data Privacy Day (Jan. 28); Identity Management Day; and CyberSecure My Business™. For more information on the National Cyber Security Alliance, please visit https://staysafeonline.org.

About F-Secure

Nobody has better visibility into real-life cyber attacks than F-Secure. We’re closing the gap between detection and response, utilizing hundreds of our industry’s best technical consultants, millions of devices running our award-winning software, and ceaseless innovations in artificial intelligence. Top banks and enterprises trust our commitment to beating the world’s most potent threats. Together with our network of the top channel partners and over 200 service providers, we’re on a mission to make sure everyone has the enterprise-grade cyber security we all need.

Founded in 1988, F-Secure is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd.

f-secure.com | twitter.com/fsecure | linkedin.com/f-secure

F-Secure media relations

Adam Pilkey
+358406378859

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/f-secure/r/f-secure-becomes-cybersecurity-awareness-month-2021-champion,c3423030

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/f-secure-becomes-cybersecurity-awareness-month-2021-champion-301386878.html

SOURCE F-Secure