Protect Your Data During Cybersecurity Awareness Month With Some Tips From College Of CARDS Faculty
While many home devices are ‘smart,’ phishing is No. 1 threat to our data and privacy, Dr. Edward Santiago notes.
As October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Dr. Edward Santiago, assistant professor of computer science, explains some of the threats people face in their everyday lives and offers some advice to combat those risks.
Everyone’s life is influenced in one way or another by digital media and content, processes, and virtual interactions with others. Ever since the advent of the computer, more tasks have been performed by intricate computer systems.
According to Google, more than 99,000 web searches are performed every second (Robbins, 2023). From the invention of the digital camera to today’s automobile industry, computers are everywhere. Every home appliance that we own has some sort of computing mechanism that has the capacity to gather, process, or store data.
According to the World Factbook (2022) (Central Intelligence Agency, 2024), there are over 370 million cell phones in the United States alone and more than 300 million Internet users. To this, we need to add that the average home has at least one smart TV and smart home devices such as Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s Home, or Apple’s Siri assistant. Home security systems are another line of products that can jeopardize our privacy if not properly configured. These include Ring and Blink, which connect to our home network.
All these devices can monitor our conversations and actions or influence our behavior. Many people use some of these devices to communicate with others and can potentially become targets for criminals. According to the FBI, smart TVs, nanny cams, and smart doorbells can be compromised by exposing sensitive information or images. While these are conveniences to some, phishing ranked as the No. 1 threat in 2022, costing the population close to $52 million in losses. These systems can be prey to unsolicited text messages, emails, or phone calls.
Advice to stay safe
What can we do to protect our data and digital entity? Here are some tips:
• Stay informed and pay attention to your local news and social media. Staying current with cyber threat activities is vital to secure our data.
• Make sure your computers and digital appliances are up to date with their current software versions and never leave the default settings on any of your devices.
• Keep up with cybersecurity and learn about trending hacker and malware activities.
Given the current innovations, our data can be compromised or even shared with ill-intended individuals. Cybersecurity is the field that educates, trains and develops best practices to protect organizations, individuals, data, and digital assets. Companies and citizens need to become familiar with the ever-evolving threats that come with having a digital identity.
Saint Leo University Cybersecurity Programs
Saint Leo University’s cybersecurity programs prepare the next generation of information technology professionals for how to deal with these circumstances and threats. Our students gain valuable experiences in our labs and extracurricular activities such as our ethical hacking events. Our classes go over the functionality of organizations, the systems that support them, and the cyber threats associated with each area.
In addition, the National Security Agency (NSA) & Department of Homeland Security and its affiliated federal agencies have designated Saint Leo University as a National Center of Academic Excellence (NCAE) in Cybersecurity and have certified that Saint Leo’s curriculum in cybersecurity meets or exceeds the requirements and standards expected of a leader in cybersecurity education.
Building on the success of its bachelor's and master's programs in cybersecurity, Saint Leo recently introduced a cybersecurity certification program, which includes three courses:
- Security Operations Center Core Skills
- Getting Started in Security
- Introduction to Cyber Deception
Participants who complete each course will be awarded a digital badge while those who complete all three courses will earn a certificate. Register at www.saintleo.edu/cybersecurity.
Tampa-based tech entrepreneur Arnie Bellini funded the creation of the program. He, along with Saint Leo University’s College of Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Data Science (CARDS), and John Strand, owner of Black Hills Information Security, have partnered to offer this online, self-paced program.
For Information
Information about the master’s in cybersecurity can be obtained by emailing admissions.grad@saintleo.edu or calling (888) 875-8265.
For more information about the bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity, email admissions@saintleo.edu or call (800) 334-5532.
To obtain information about the cybersecurity certification program, email katie.chamberlain@saintleo.edu or call (352) 588-8857 or (352) 789-0042.