Educational cybersecurity awareness programs in U.S., Europe help foster safe online measures, promote accountability of citizens, organizations

MILPITAS, Calif. — OCT. 4, 2021 — October has been designated by both public and private sectors as the month to better educate billions of internet users to the dangers that lurk online. Today, SonicWall, a company with a longstanding history of collaboration with security industry experts, intelligence groups and security researchers, reaffirms its ongoing commitment to strengthening cybersecurity and building awareness for a safer online ecosystem.

“Without the safe walls of corporate networks to protect them, citizens working remotely are at higher risk than ever,” said SonicWall Vice President, Global Channel Sales, HoJin Kim. “It’s imperative that industry leaders and cybersecurity experts do their part to educate, prepare and equip online users with the information and tools that could prove vital in thwarting pervasive and damaging attacks against citizens, businesses and organizations across all industries.”

Co-led by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), Cybersecurity Awareness Month celebrates its 18th anniversary with important campaigns aimed at providing vital threat protection education and information via trending social media awareness, blogs, articles and tools developed for organizations and external audiences alike.

European efforts are also in full force as the European Cybersecurity Month (ECSM) kicks off its annual push supported by hundreds of partners — governments, universities, think tanks,

NGOs, professional associations and private-sector businesses — from Europe Union countries and beyond. The campaign’s main objective in 2021 is to educate users in Europe that have experienced major shifts to their daily online life in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Security awareness is the vital first step in what can seem like a Herculean task of guarding any organization,” said SonicWall Vice President, EMEA, Terry Greer-King. “Employees must do their part to remain vigilant and educated against threats that are rapidly growing in volume and sophistication. October’s awareness efforts present an opportunity for the IT industry to update users on the latest tactics cybercriminals are leveraging and share essential best practices for staying safe online.”

SonicWall Capture Labs threat researchers collect and analyze threat intelligence data from 1.1 million sensors in over 215 countries and territories. Designed to educate public and private sectors, the company published recent findings in its mid-year update of the 2021 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report, which found massive year-to-date ransomware spikes in the U.S. (185%) and U.K. (144%). The report also notes that in the first half of 2021, global ransomware attacks eclipsed the entire volume for 2020 in only six months.

To download the full mid-year update of the 2021 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report, please visit www.sonicwall.com/threatreport.

About SonicWall
SonicWall delivers Boundless Cybersecurity for the hyper-distributed era in a work reality where everyone is remote, mobile and unsecure. SonicWall safeguards organizations mobilizing for their new business normal with seamless protection that stops the most evasive cyberattacks across boundless exposure points and increasingly remote, mobile and cloud-enabled workforces. By knowing the unknown, providing real-time visibility and enabling breakthrough economics, SonicWall closes the cybersecurity business gap for enterprises, governments and SMBs worldwide. For more information, visit www.sonicwall.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.