Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Secure Our World 

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and led by CISA and its partners, this campaign emphasizes that cybersecurity isn’t just an IT concern — it’s a collective effort. 

The theme, “Secure Our World,” highlights four simple yet powerful practices that anyone can follow: 

• Use strong passwords and a password manager 
• Turn on multifactor authentication (MFA) 
• Recognize and report phishing 
• Update software promptly 

These steps are the building blocks of digital resilience. But as CISA notes, strengthening everyone’s cyber posture also requires helping small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) and state, local, tribal and territorial (SLTT) governments protect themselves — because they are essential to both communities and the national supply chain. 

The SMB Challenge: Securing the Supply Chain 

CISA’s Secure Your Business guidance warns that attackers increasingly target SMBs, knowing they may have fewer resources. A single incident can disrupt operations and ripple through larger partners or suppliers. 

Where Cymulate Helps  

With continuous exposure validation, SMBs can ensure that essential protections, such as MFA, phishing defenses and patching are working as intended. This reduces risk without requiring a large security staff. 

The SLTT Challenge: Protecting Critical Services 

According to CISA’s Secure SLTT guidance, governments at the state and local levels face unique pressures, including limited budgets, aging infrastructure and the need to safeguard vital services such as education, healthcare and utilities. One successful ransomware campaign could disrupt entire communities. 

Where Cymulate Helps  

Cymulate safely tests defenses against real-world threats, helping SLTT entities prioritize scarce resources toward vulnerabilities that pose the most significant risk. This enables more resilient service delivery without overburdening limited teams. 

Mapping CISA’s Four Tips to Cymulate in Action 

Strong Passwords and Access Controls 

Weak or reused credentials remain a favored attack vector. 

• Cymulate simulates password spraying and credential stuffing to reveal weak points. 
• CISA – Use Strong Passwords 

Turning on MFA 

MFA reduces the risk of account takeovers — but only if enforced consistently. 

• Cymulate validates authentication flows across systems and apps. 
• CISA – Turn on MFA 

Recognizing and Reporting Phishing 

Human error fuels many breaches. 

• Cymulate runs safe phishing simulations to measure awareness and improve training. 
• CISA – Recognize and Report Phishing 

Updating and Patching Systems 

Attackers quickly exploit unpatched systems. 

• Cymulate identifies which vulnerabilities are actually exploitable in your environment, helping teams prioritize critical patches. 
• CISA – Update Software 

Building a More Secure World, Together 

From individuals safeguarding their digital lives, to SMBs protecting supply chains, to SLTT governments defending critical services — cybersecurity is a shared mission. CISA’s Secure Our World campaign emphasizes that we all play a role in reducing risk. 

With Cymulate, organizations can take those four core practices one step further: by validating that defenses are working continuously. Instead of relying on assumptions, you gain measurable insights that help you close gaps faster and strengthen resilience. 

This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, remember securing our world starts with simple habits — and grows stronger when we make security measurable.