Held every October, National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) is a collaborative effort between government and industry to raise awareness about the importance of cyber security and to ensure that all Americans have the resources they need to be safer and more secure online.

According to industry experts, the average cost of a data breach is nearly $6 million. And while many organizations understand the importance of preparing for a breach, few understand what it could cost to recover from an attack and what cyber criminals might be after.

Cyber security threats and trends can change year over year as technology continues to advance at alarming speeds. As such, it’s critical for organizations to reassess their data protection practices at the start of each new year and make achievable cyber security resolutions to help protect themselves from costly breaches.

The following are resolutions your company can implement to ensure you don’t become the victim of a cyber crime:

When cyber attacks like data breaches and hacks occur, they can result in devastating damage. Businesses often have to deal with business disruptions, lost revenue and litigation after the attack. It is important to remember that no organization is immune to the impact of cyber crime. As a result, cyber liability insurance has become an essential component to any risk management program.

Cyber Liability insurance policies are tailored to meet your company's specific needs and can offer a number of important benefits, including the following:

Half of all small and midsize businesses (SMBs) in the U.S. experienced a data breach in the past year — and 55% experienced a cyber attack. So why are so many SMBs not making cyber insurance a priority?

According to the Insurance Information Institute, 34% of SMBs do not believe they will be the target of an attack, while 37% cited cost as a reason. Take a moment to explore the figures surrounding the cyber landscape in the infographic below.

Board members and the officers they are entrusted to oversee are becoming increasingly agitated and inquisitive about cyber risk management efforts at their companies — particularly when it comes to insuring them against derivative lawsuits that could be prompted by a major event. As a result, those charged with buying commercial insurance, along with their brokers and insurance carriers, should expect intense scrutiny about the adequacy of cyber coverage, since data breaches, ransomware attacks, and other technology-related exposures may put directors in the crosshairs of plaintiff attorneys.

Public Wi-Fi is everywhere — such as coffee shops, hotels and airports, just to name a few.

But this convenience comes at a price. 

Public hotspots are an easy way for cyber criminals to track your online movements and steal valuable information. How? The same features that make free Wi-Fi attractive to consumers also make them desirable to hackers. It requires no authentication to establish an internet connection. This presents an opportunity for cyber thieves to gain access to unsecured devices on the same network.

Just how scary is unsecured Wi-Fi? Hackers also can use it to distribute malware. If you share files across a public network, the hacker can plant infected software on your computer. And that's not just on single device. Because office devices are all connected through a network, a hacker with access to one machine through public Wi-Fi can make the jump to access all of the machines and information stored on that company network.

Below are five tips on how to protect your data when using public Wi-Fi, courtesy of Christopher Roach, managing director and national IT practice leader at CBIZ Risk & Advisory Services.

On October 21st, due to waves of online attacks,  Domain Name Server (DNS) provider Dyn Inc. blocked access to Twitter, Spotify, Netflix, Amazon, Tumblr, Reddit, The New York Times and various other sites. Hackers used the malware program Mirai, which can send thousands and even hundreds of thousands of server requests at once, creating a flood of fake traffic and overwhelming a DNS. 

Cyberattacks on small businesses are a real and growing problem, and the latest research by Nationwide shows owners are not prepared. Small businesses fall into hackers’ cybersecurity sweet spot — they have more digital assets to target than an individual consumer has, but less security than a larger enterprise, according to Nationwide.

With October being Cyber Security month, there is no better time for small business owners to reassess their cyber risk. Here are a few insights into today's cyber liability issues and your insurance options as a small business owner. 

In a world that is more connected than ever before, it is critical to take steps to minimize the risks to your sensitive data. October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, Homeland Security’s annual campaign to provide tools and resources needed to stay safe online, and increase the resiliency in the event of a cyber incident.