For a decade, Catalyst has taken part in Cybersecurity Awareness Month (CAM) each October, joining a global effort led by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) to promote safer digital practices for individuals and organizations.
Now in its 22nd year, CAM is a call to action for everyone to take responsibility for their online safety. This year’s theme, “Stay Safe Online,” emphasizes the importance of empathy, accessibility and shared responsibility in creating a safer digital world.
At Catalyst, cybersecurity is not just a technical concern – it’s a fundamental part of how we protect our employees, our members and our community. By participating in CAM, we aim to empower everyone with practical tools and knowledge that make online safety feel approachable and achievable.
Throughout October, Catalyst will spotlight four easy ways to stay safe online and can significantly reduce the risk of cyber threats:
- Use strong passwords and a password manager
- Turn on multifactor authentication (MFA)
- Recognize and report phishing and scams
- Update your software regularly
Protect your accounts
Simple passwords, such as 12345, or common identifying information, like birthdays and pet names, are not safe for protecting important accounts holding personal information. Using an easy-to-guess password is like locking the door but leaving the key in the lock. Weak passwords can quickly be broken by computer hackers. But it’s impossible to remember a unique strong password for every account!
Thankfully, creating and storing strong passwords with the help of a "password manager" is one of the easiest ways to protect ourselves from someone logging into our accounts and stealing sensitive information, data, money or even our identities.
Stay safer online: enable MFA
MFA provides us with extra security by confirming our identities when logging in to our accounts, like entering a code texted to a phone or one generated by an authenticator app. MFA increases security – it can make us significantly safer online. Even if an unauthorized user steals your password, they won’t be able to meet the second step requirement to access your accounts.
Don’t take the bait
Phishing occurs when criminals try to get us to open harmful links, emails or attachments that could request our personal information or infect our devices. Phishing messages or “bait” usually come in the form of an email, text, direct message on social media or a phone call. These messages are often designed to look like they come from a trusted person or organization, to get us to respond. Report the phish attempt and delete harmful messages without having to click any links.
Think twice before putting off software updates
Many people might select “Remind me later” when we see an update alert and by waiting you are leaving personal information open to criminals. However, many software updates are created to fix security risks, patch security vulnerability and protect you from criminals trying to take advantage of those weak spots. Keeping software up to date is an easy way for us to stay safer online. To make updates even more convenient, turn on the automatic updates in the device or application’s security settings.
By focusing on simple, effective steps and creating a culture of shared responsibility, Catalyst is proud to contribute to the broader mission of building a more secure digital future.
CAM continues to build momentum and impact with the goal of providing everyone with the information they need to stay safer and more secure online. Catalyst is proud to support this online safety awareness and education initiative.
Learn more about #CybersecurityAwarenessMonth 2025 and how to participate in its many activities.