Wake County, City of Raleigh and Town of Cary to offer free cybersecurity workshops

Small businesses and seniors in focus for Cybersecurity Awareness Month

[Joint news release with City of Raleigh and Town of Cary]

In 2023, Americans over the age of 60 collectively lost $3.4 billion to cybercrimes, while 41% of small businesses fell victim to a cyber-attack. While these numbers are staggering, individuals and businesses can take proactive steps to safeguard themselves online.

To combat these growing threats, Wake County, the City of Raleigh and the Town of Cary are partnering to offer a series of free cybersecurity workshops during the month of October. These events aim to raise awareness and provide practical tips for two of the most vulnerable groups: seniors and small businesses.

“We know that cybercrime is a growing concern, especially for our seniors and small business communities,” said Wake County Board of Commissioners Chair Shinica Thomas. “October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and our hope is that attendees of these sessions can take away vital resources and information that can help them stay safe online and reduce the number of victims impacted each year.”

All events are free to attend but registration is required. Those interested can visit wake.gov/cybersecurity to sign up.

Free events for seniors:

Secure Our World: Staying Cybersafe in the Digital Age
Attendees can join AARP for an essential and empowering session designed specifically for active adults who want to take control of their online safety.

Free events for small business:

In partnership with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, this event is designed specifically for small businesses and entrepreneurs. It will teach practical and essential tips to safeguard an organization’s info.

"Helping our residents and businesses be more cyber aware and secure helps not only to defend them from attacks, but also helps make our towns, cities, and county more secure. We are all in this together,” said Marina Kelly, City of Raleigh Chief Information Security Officer.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month

While these Cybersecurity Awareness Month events focus on seniors and small businesses, in today’s digital world we are all more at risk of cybersecurity risks.

According to the FBI, these cyber safety tips can reduce your chances of becoming an easy target for criminals:

  • Keep systems and software up to date and install a strong, reputable anti-virus program.
  • Be careful when connecting to a public Wi-Fi network and do not conduct any sensitive transactions, including purchases, when on a public network.
  • Create a strong and unique passphrase for each online account.
  • Set up multi-factor authentication on all accounts that allow it.
  • Examine the email address in all correspondence and scrutinize website URLs before responding to a message or visiting a site.
  • Don’t click on anything in unsolicited emails or text messages.
  • Be cautious about the information you share in online profiles and social media accounts. Sharing things like pet names, schools and family members can give scammers the hints they need to guess your passwords or the answers to your account security questions.
  • Don't send payments to unknown people or organizations that are seeking monetary support and urge immediate action.
     

“As a tech-forward community, our responsibility is to ensure that cybersecurity is not just a layer of protection, but a foundation of trust,” said Cary Chief Information Security Officer Dustin Baptiste. “Whether it's citizens, staff, neighboring communities or local businesses, we are committed to meeting people where they are – providing the security they need to thrive in a digital world. That's why it's so important that we continue to evolve as cyber threats do, taking a proactive approach that safeguards data, privacy and innovation at every turn.”

For more information about Cybersecurity Awareness Month and to sign up for events, visit wake.gov/cybersecurity.

Department
Information Technology
Category
Press Release