By Francis

Copyright thebftonline

By Ben TAGOE

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a worldwide effort to get people, businesses, and governments to work together to make the internet safer.

The theme for this year, “Secure Our World,” is a strong reminder that even though technology keeps changing, we must protect ourselves and our businesses.

The truth is that cyber threats are no longer things that might happen in the future; they are things that happen every day. The good news is that you don’t need complicated tools or a lot of knowledge to protect yourself from many of these threats.

The Core 4 are four simple, effective things you can do that will make your digital life much safer. They are the focus of this year’s campaign. They are useful for regular people and strong enough to help even the most advanced organisations.

Use a password manager and strong passwords

Passwords are the keys to everything we do online. But a lot of people still use weak, easy-to-guess passwords like “123456” or “password” or use the same password for more than one account. Cybercriminals know this, and breaches involving passwords are still one of the most common ways for them to get into personal and business systems.

The solution is simple: make sure each account has a strong, unique password. A good password should be long, hard to guess, and not based on personal information. Of course, it’s almost impossible to remember dozens of different passwords.

That’s when a password manager is very useful. These tools not only make strong, random passwords, but they also keep them safe and fill them in when you need them. Using a password manager makes it less likely that you’ll use the same password many times, which makes your defences stronger.

Turn on Multifactor Authentication (MFA)

A strong password is like a strong lock, and multifactor authentication (MFA) is like a deadbolt. MFA requires an additional step – something you know (your password) combined with something you have (like a code on your phone) or something you are (like a fingerprint). Even if hackers get your password, they can’t get into your account easily without this second layer.

Many of the world’s most damaging breaches could have been prevented by MFA. Enabling it takes only a few minutes but provides long-lasting protection. When possible, opt for authenticator apps or hardware keys instead of SMS-based codes, which can be intercepted.

Keep your software up to date.

Software powers all the devices and apps we use, like phones, laptops, tablets, and smart home devices. That software is never perfect; new security holes are always being found. Cybercriminals are quick to take advantage of systems that are no longer supported. They often start attacks within days of a vulnerability being made public.

One of the simplest defences that people often forget is to update their software regularly. Updates don’t just add new features; they often include important security patches that fix dangerous holes. You don’t have to think about it if you turn on automatic updates. This one habit alone can keep you safe from a wide range of cyber threats.

Recognise and Report Phishing

The most common and successful type of cyberattack is still phishing. These schemes try to get you to give them private information, download malware, or click on links that are used to steal your information. Phishing messages today can be very convincing. They often look like they come from banks, delivery companies, or even co-workers you trust.

The best way to protect yourself is to be careful. Think before you click. Look for things like misspelt words, URLs that look suspicious, or requests that seem strange. Before you respond to an email or text that seems strange, check it out through another channel. And don’t just delete suspicious message, report them. Reporting helps businesses find bigger attacks and keep others safe.

Why the Core 4 is Important

The beauty of the Core 4 is in their simplicity. You don’t need to be a tech expert, have expensive tools, or spend hours training to use them. But if you follow them regularly, they can stop a lot of the most common attacks before they even start.

Adopting the Core 4 protects people’s money, private communications, and digital identities. For organizations, these practices reduce the likelihood of costly breaches, downtime, and reputational harm. And for everyone, they make the digital world safer and more stable. Cybersecurity is not just something that IT teams or experts do. Everyone is responsible for it. By doing small but important things, we all help keep our digital world safe.

What to Do This Month

As we celebrate Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2025, ask yourself and others to adopt the Core 4. Start with one thing, like turning on MFA for your most important accounts or setting up a password manager, and then add more things as you go. Tell your co-workers, friends, and family what you’ve learnt. Security and awareness both grow.

The Core 4 gives you clarity and power in a world where cyber threats change every day. They remind us that everyone can help protect the future of the internet. Let’s all agree to do these four things and work together to keep our world safe.