October 2026 | Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Don't Make It Easy for Them: Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2026
Most cyber attackers aren't clever, they're opportunistic. They go for the unlocked door, the reused password or the email that looks believable enough late on a Friday afternoon.
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a global initiative that raises awareness about online safety and empowers individuals and businesses to protect themselves from cybercrime. This year’s theme is ‘Don't Make It Easy for Them’, a mantra to build habits and repeat them consistently to make like difficult for cybercriminals.
The NCSC, the government's National Cyber Security Centre, provides key advice on how to keep safe and secure. Safety comes from small habits, repeated every day, rather than one perfect decision. Here’s some of the top tips:
Use a password manager
Nobody can remember dozens of strong, unique passwords, so people reuse them. One breach later, attackers try the same login everywhere else. A password manager does the remembering for you. If you need to make one up yourself, the NCSC suggests three random words strung together. Easy to type, hard to guess.
Switch on multi-factor authentication
Turn it on wherever it's offered, starting with email and Microsoft 365. A stolen password then becomes an annoyance rather than a disaster. Where you get a choice, an authenticator app beats a text message. It adds a few seconds to every login but can be the difference between preventing or allowing a hack.
Spot scams and report them
Scams are getting better, phishing emails are cleaner than they used to be, and cloned voices on phone calls are a genuine risk, so hunting for spelling mistakes won't save you anymore.
A habit works better. If a message involves money, passwords or urgency, check it another way. Ring the person back on a number you already hold.
Keep software updated
Updates can be irritating, but they're also how known weaknesses get fixed and attackers love a business that keeps pressing ‘remind me tomorrow’. Turn on automatic updates where you can, that includes phones, routers and software.
Where the basics run out
Do all four consistently and you're harder to hit than plenty of businesses, but habits only work if everyone keeps them up, and nobody gets it right every time.
That's where a safety net helps. Training and phishing simulations keep people sharp and beyond that, endpoint protection with someone watching it and backup you've tested mean a bad day ends with restoring files rather than negotiating a ransom.
For a baseline, Cyber Essentials is the government-backed scheme, and more customers and partners now expect to see it. The NCSC also offers a free Cyber Action Toolkit for small businesses.
OX IT Solutions helps businesses and schools across the UK stay cyber secure by taking a proactive approach and protecting data and systems before an attack can happen.
Get in touch today
We offer a free, remote cybersecurity review, looking at your current set up, identifying gaps and providing affordable, reliable solutions. Call 01865 594 930 or email sales@oxitsolutions.co.uk to contact us today.
Meet Jackie Morris, aka Jake Moore
For a fascinating look ahead at what’s coming in the world of AI threats and Deepfakes, check out our latest webinar, starring TV’s cybersecurity expert, Jake Moore, and his AI sidekick, ‘Jackie Morris’, below.
ESET Global Cybersecurity Advisor and TV expert, Jake Moore