Cybersecurity awareness month: the 4 biggest security mistakes to avoid

'Tis the season to be cyber-savvy

Features By Shaun Rockwood published 1 October 2024

Cybersecurity Awareness Month has been celebrated in October since 2002. It's a time for everyone, from everyday internet dwellers to private companies, to come together and work to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity in the world we live in.

Today I'll take a look at the four biggest security mistakes that, even now, people still make, and explain why they're so risky.

Mistake #1: reusing passwords across accounts

In a world where security breaches are a common occurrence, reusing passwords is one of the most dangerous digital habits to have.

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Using the same password across multiple accounts means that a cybercriminal only needs that one password to access your entire digital life.

It's hard to remember all of your login credentials, sure, especially if you have dozens of them – and when many sites force you to create a 14-digit combination of numbers, special characters, and capital letters.

Luckily, this is where password managers come into their own, and I consider them a vital addition to your online security toolkit.

Mistake #2: not updating software

This might seem like a relatively innocuous sin in the grand scheme of things. So you haven't updated your copy of Windows since you installed it, or that copy of Acrobat Reader that sits quietly in the background until you need to view a PDF. What harm could that possibly do?

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