Celebrate Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Mastering Cyber Safety with Yale's Bee Cyber Fit Training Program

Is your cybersecurity muscle strong enough to withstand digital threats? 

Join us as we reveal the alarming truth that a staggering 82% of data breaches are linked to human error and explore how you can fortify your digital defenses. 

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month! Discover how simple, manageable actions can make a difference and why starting essential conversations about cyber threats is more crucial than ever.

Episode Highlights:

Cybersecurity Awareness Month:
Learn about the significance of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, established in 2004 to encourage proactive steps in reducing online risks and sparking discussions about cyber threats. 

Bee Cyberfit at Yale Training Program:
Discover Yale's new innovative training program, Bee Cyber Fit at Yale: The Essentials to Working Securely. Designed to enhance your cybersecurity knowledge through engaging content, this first-ever training is interactive and available to all faculty, staff, and students.

Microlearning:
Understand the concept of microlearning and how it can make complex cybersecurity topics more digestible. By breaking down information into small, manageable chunks, microlearning ensures better knowledge retention and more effective cyber habits.

Exciting Events and Prizes:
Get a sneak peek into the exciting events planned for Cybersecurity Awareness Month at Yale! From a panel discussion titled "Scary Spooky Cybersecurity," where experts share their biggest cybersecurity fears, to a session with cybercrime reporter Kerry Tomlinson on "Insider Threats and How Not to Become One by Accident," there's something for everyone.
 
Plus, participants who complete the training by October 25th will have a chance to win fantastic prizes and join an exclusive Kahoot trivia game for an extra special reward.

Calls to Action:

1. Visit the Cybersecurity Awareness Month webpage for detailed information on all events and activities.
2. Sign up for Cybersecurity Awareness Month alerts to stay informed about the latest learning opportunities.
3. Share this episode with colleagues and friends to spread the word and enhance our collective cyber awareness.

And don't forget to check out our full podcast library and newsletter library to boost your cyber know-how.

Stay tuned, stay safe, and get cyber fit with Yale Cybersecurity Awareness!

Learn more about Yale Cybersecurity Awareness at cybersecurity.yale.edu/awareness

Never miss an episode! Sign up to receive Bee Cyber Fit podcast alerts.

Transcript

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Wendy Battles: Welcome to the Bee Cyber Fit podcast, where we're simplifying cybersecurity for everyone, where we cut through confusing cyber speak and make cybersecurity simple and easy to digest. I'm one of your hosts, Wendy Battles.

James Tucciarone: I'm James Tucciarone, together we're part of Yale University's Information Security Policy and Awareness Team. Our department works behind the scenes to support Yale's mission of teaching, learning, and scholarly research.

Wendy Battles: Ready to get cyber fit with us. Hey, everyone. Welcome to another episode of the Bee Cyber Fit podcast. We're excited you're here and hope you're ready to get cyber fit with us. If you're a new listener, welcome aboard. This is the place to come for information and inspiration to stay safe online and outsmart cybercriminals. This podcast is one of the many tools in our toolkit that we use at Yale University to help our faculty, staff, and students build their cyber muscles. James, I'm so excited about today's episode. 

James Tucciarone: Me too. Especially because October brings Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which was established in 2004 by both the President and Congress as a time when we can all work together to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity. It really encourages us to take actions to reduce our online risk and start discussions about cyber threats. It's also really important because one of the biggest risks in cybersecurity is the human element. Wendy, would you believe it if I told you that according to a leading annual security report, 82% of data breaches have been linked to human-related security weaknesses? 

Wendy Battles: Well, James, if I wasn't in this field already and know that to be a fact, I would probably find it really hard to believe that humans play such a key role in cybersecurity or weaknesses and vulnerabilities, which is why it's so important for us to build awareness and to be proactive about combating cyber threats, of which there are so many? We're going to talk more about that and things we can do in October in just a couple of moments. But first, let's get a preview of our buzzword of the day. 

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James Tucciarone: When it comes to cybersecurity, how often do you feel overwhelmed by the amount of information you need to remember? Do you wish you could learn about it in smaller, more manageable chunks? Then the concept of microlearning might just be the answer. Stay tuned to find out more about what microlearning is and how it can be an effective tool in cybersecurity education. So, Wendy, I know I don't have to tell you that Yale is also celebrating Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and this year our focus is on training. We're going to be hosting a month-long challenge with simple weekly tasks, as well as some opportunities for people to win really cool prizes. Wendy, why don't you tell us a little bit about the training we have coming out? 

Wendy Battles: I'm just going to say, James, I'm very, very excited about the training that we are debuting in October, our first ever Cybersecurity Awareness training. You've been right there with me working on this for many, many months. It is called Bee Cyber Fit at Yale. The essentials to working securely and it's something that is available to our entire Yale community, to faculty, staff, and students at Yale. The truth of the matter, as I know we've talked a lot about before, Yale isn't an exception. Just like other institutions of higher learning, other companies are targeted so is Yale. And cybercriminals are intent on disrupting the really important work that we do. And you know some of the things that go on amazing teaching and learning from our esteemed faculty, the groundbreaking research that takes place every day, and the whole work of the university to keep it running, all the operational things that happen behind the scenes. Those things are all dependent upon using these systems and really keeping them safe. 

So, we are working really hard in the Information Security Office to manage the many cyber threats that come at us, and we do that by using the latest tools and technology. But the thing is that I know, you know, James, and I don't know if our whole audience knows, is that it takes more than just tools to keep our data and systems safe. As evidenced by that statistic that you talked about right? 82% of data breaches have been linked to a human-related security weakness. So that's what we really want to address. And what we know is that this work is so important to protect Yale's really critical mission of teaching and learning and research and disseminating information. We also know that Cybersecurity Awareness training can lead to a 70% reduction in security-related risks according to some studies. 

So, there's a correlation between people taking cybersecurity awareness training and that reflected in behavior change-- cybersafe behavior change. So that's why this is so important, and that's also why we're so excited about it. And the training features five key modules that are related to our foundational topics that we talk about. And many of you have heard us talk about some of those topics in the past on the podcast. But to give you a simple idea, we talk a lot about knowing your risk, and how do we protect the data that we have access to? We talk about clicking with caution. How do we avoid phishing messages? What are the red flags that message might be malicious? And how can I respond to that in a proactive way?

We talk about protecting our identity, and that has a lot to do with the passwords that we use and making sure that they're robust. It has to do with using multi-factor authentication. So, we talk about that. We talk about applying updates and why that's so important, and what are we even applying updates to? And we talk about reporting that if we see something suspicious, it's our responsibility to say something, which we can do in very simple ways. But it's that gut feeling that something doesn't feel quite right, and I have the ability to do something about it. So, our training goes over these five topics. And what I think is so cool, James, is that it's interactive. We have exercises and things for people to do, to learn more, to investigate more closely. 

So, it's not just someone tucking at you during all the modules, but really, we try to make it really engaging. And I feel like it's very reflective of other materials that we've put together from the information security office. So, I feel like this is a great way for our entire university to really be on the same page about cybersafe practices and behaviors that ultimately support the university's mission. And one more thing that I think is pretty cool about this training. Not only is it talking about these five behaviors, but it's really thinking about how you can apply these five cybersafe behaviors, not just at Yale, but also at home. They are points that are really important by these practices, like updating our systems. We might have automatic updates set up at work, but do we always have them set up on our home devices? 

So, the information in this training is applicable to both Yale and home. I will also mention that we have some really cool prizes, don't we? We've got some really cool stuff that you can be entered to win when you complete this training by October 25th, there'll be a lot more details about that, but I just want to plant that little seed. We've got some brand new super cool things that I can't wait to get in the hands of our Yale community. We encourage you to participate to ensure our Yale data and systems are as secure as possible.

James Tucciarone: Well, I have to say, I love how each of the modules in this training ties back to our foundational topics or our five core behaviors. I'm also really excited about some of these prizes that we're giving away. I will mention, Wendy, that for those in our Yale community who complete the training by October 25th, they'll also receive an invitation to an exclusive trivia game where they'll have an opportunity to win another extra special prize. But I do also want to talk about some of the other events that we'll be hosting in October. And I want to start off with our panel discussion that we're calling Scary Spooky Cybersecurity. We're going to be joined by a panel of experts from Yale's Information Security Office who are going to be discussing some of their biggest cybersecurity fears and what keeps them up at night.

Another great thing about this session in particular is we're going to be inviting attendees to ask their burning questions and maybe about the things that they have fear around in terms of cybersecurity. And our die-hard fans may remember past interviews with cybercrime reporter Kerry Tomlinson. She'll also be joining us in October for an event we're calling Insider Threats: How not to become one by accident. She's going to break down some real-life insider threat incidents and tell us a little bit about what we can do to avoid becoming one ourselves. 

Wendy Battles: Well, James, it sounds pretty awesome to me. Those are two excellent events. I know they will be. And I'll just say that every time Kerry Tomlinson joins us, it is an eye-opening experience. Our girl is bringing the facts and information in an engaging way. And I can't wait so more to come on that. I hope you'll all take advantage of the training and these events and some of the other cool stuff we have planned that James mentioned is happening weekly to reinforce your cyber knowledge and your cyber knowhow. Now let's take a listen to our buzzword of the day, microlearning. 

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James Tucciarone: Here's the buzz on microlearning. We all probably realize that cyber threats are constantly evolving and changing, and new threats emerge almost daily. The last thing we need is training that feels like an insurmountable mountain of information. The great thing about microlearning is it allows us to focus on one specific aspect at a time. Whether it's learning about the risk of associated with our data, about password hygiene, or about recognizing social engineering tactics. Microlearning is like snacking on knowledge. Instead of big, overwhelming bites of information, we get small digestible chunks. When it comes to cybersecurity, it's perfect for staying up to date on the latest threats and best practices without investing a lot of our time. This approach not only makes information easier to learn, but also helps us remember it when it matters the most. 

Another key aspect of microlearning is flexibility. We can learn on our own schedules whenever and wherever it suits us, and it can come in various formats that suit different learning styles like videos, quizzes, short articles or even infographics. Microlearning is also efficient. Short, focused lessons, maximize learning time without sacrificing our productivity or stretching our attention space. Additionally, interactive elements like quizzes and simulations help make microlearning more engaging and can also make learning fun. Microlearning can be a powerful tool for enhancing cybersecurity awareness. By breaking down complex information into manageable pieces, we can improve our knowledge retention and ultimately our cyber habits. And because educating ourselves about cybersecurity isn't just a one-time event, microlearning makes the commitment to being cybersafe more approachable and less daunting. 

So, what cybersecurity microlearning opportunities can you investigate at Yale? Complete our first ever Cybersecurity Awareness Training. Bee Cyber Fit at Yale: Essentials to Working Securely. Broken up into five short modules, it’s a great way to discover the key things you need to know about staying safe at Yale and at home. Sign up to receive our monthly cybersecurity tip. It’s a bite-sized update on timely cybersecurity issues delivered right to your inbox. Read our Bee Cyber Fit newsletter, each quarter we share news about cybersecurity at Yale, compelling cyber stories and a fun puzzle with a chance to win an exclusive prize pack. And keep listening to the Bee Cyber Fit podcast where we help you to be aware, to be prepared, and to be cyber fit. 

Wendy Battles: I think October is going to be pretty exciting at Yale University, James between our training that we are debuting, our events we have going on, and then we got some really cool, self-paced stuff and other things to engage everyone and build awareness in October, as we work together to protect Yale's data and systems to ensure we can all keep doing the important work we're doing, whether it's teaching, whether we're students and we're learning, whether we have key roles in keeping the university running. All of those things depend on technology, and we want to keep that safe. In that spirit, we have three calls to action for this episode.

Number one, we want you to visit our Cybersecurity Awareness Month webpage for all of the details of the things that we have talked about today so that you can explore in detail our events and activities. Two, we want you to sign up for alerts. We don't want you to miss out on anything. And when you sign up for our alert list, you'll receive our weekly email to make sure you are in the know about our learning opportunities. And three, please share this episode with people you know, your colleagues, people that you think could benefit. It's really all in our best interest to expand the thinking about this and engage as many people in the Yale community as we can. So by sharing, you help your colleagues stay informed about all of these upcoming opportunities in October. And of course, cool ways to win swag. You'll find links in the show notes to the items that we mentioned here.

James Tucciarone: Wendy I'll close out this episode by saying these actions also remind us how small steps can really make a big difference in protecting Yale's mission. And I also hope that our listeners will join us next month. But that's all we have for today. So, until next time, I'm here with Wendy Battles and I'm James Tucciarone. We'd like to thank everybody who helps make this podcast possible. And we'd also like to thank Yale University where the podcast is produced and recorded.

Wendy Battles: Thank you so much for listening, everyone. We truly appreciate it. And remember, it only takes simple steps to be cyber fit.

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