---
title: Cybersecurity - Is Your Credit Union Ready? [5 Easy Steps]
description: It’s National Cyber Security Awareness Month, and we all have to do our par, says The National CyberSecurity Alliance, a nonprofit public-private partnership.
---

[FI GROW Solutions Blog ](https://www.figrow.com/blog)

# [Cybersecurity - Is Your Credit Union Ready? [5 Easy Steps]](https://www.figrow.com/blog/cybersecurity-is-your-credit-union-ready-5-easy-steps)

 Written by [Today's Credit Unions](https://www.figrow.com/blog/author/todays-credit-unions) | October 17, 2017

**Cybersecurity in the Workplace Is Everyone's Business**

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, and we all have to do our part. So says The National Cyber Security Alliance, a nonprofit public-private partnership.

Consider the recent increase in cybercrime hitting U.S. businesses. It’s gotten so bad that credit bureau Equifax recently “lost” information including Social Security numbers on 143 million consumers!!

**Think about that for a minute: a company whose main job is to safeguard data... got hacked.** Imagine how vulnerable other types of businesses are.

The Alliance cites a recent MediaPro's survey, in which seventy percent of respondents showed at least some lack of security and privacy awareness. The study had several other notable findings:

**· 24 percent** of employees surveyed took potentially risky actions when presented with scenarios related to organizational physical security, such as letting strangers in without identification.

**· 20 percent** of employees showed a lack of awareness related to safe social media posting, choosing risky actions such as posting on their personal social media accounts about a yet-to-be-released product of their employer.

**· 19 percent** of respondents chose to take risky actions related to working remotely, such as connecting their work computers to an unsecured public WiFi hotspot.

**· 12 percent** of respondents failed to recognize commons signs of malware when presented with real-life examples, such as a sluggish computer or anti-virus software unexpectedly switching off.

Sobering statistics. The alliance offers some tips for organizations that don’t wish to join the growing ranks of cyber-victims:

**· Identify:** Conduct an inventory of your most valuable assets – the "crown jewels" of greatest importance to your business and of most value to criminals – such as employee, customer and payment data.

**· Protect:** Assess what protective measures you need in place to defend the organization as much as possible against a cyber incident.

**· Detect:** Have systems set up that would alert you if an incident occurs, including the ability for employees to report problems.

**· Respond:** Make and practice an incidence response plan to contain an attack and maintain business operations in the short term.

**· Recover:** Know what to do to return to normal business operations after an incident or breach, including assessing any legal obligations.

[The National Cyber Security Alliance](https://staysafeonline.org/) (NCSA) offers a wealth of education, programs, strategies and advice for businesses of all sized. 

**Related Post: [Is Your CU Website REALLY ADA Compliant?](https://www.figrow.com/is-your-cu-website-ada-compliant)**

[View full post](https://www.figrow.com/blog/cybersecurity-is-your-credit-union-ready-5-easy-steps)

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