Cybersecurity Month 2025: Your First Line of Defense
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and it’s the perfect time to strengthen your human firewall. While attackers exploit technical flaws, they increasingly rely on social engineering—because human error remains one of the most common entry points.
Why it matters in 2025
AI has supercharged fraud. Hyper-realistic deepfake voices, images, and videos make scams more convincing than ever, from investment and sextortion schemes to business email compromise (BEC). Trusting a familiar voice or face is no longer enough—verification is essential for both individuals and organizations.
Watch and learn
Hear from ESET Chief Security Evangelist Tony Anscombe in a short video that kicks off Cybersecurity Awareness Month, celebrated across the US, Canada, Australia, and Europe. More videos and tips will follow throughout the month.
Key takeaways
- The human element is still the biggest attack surface
- AI-powered fraud and deepfakes raise the stakes
- Awareness and training are your best defense
Actionable steps to reduce risk
- Verify identities out-of-band before acting on requests involving money, credentials, or sensitive data
- Treat urgency as a red flag; slow down, pause, and confirm
- Enable multi-factor authentication on critical accounts; prefer phishing-resistant options like passkeys or FIDO2 security keys
- Keep systems, browsers, and security software updated with automatic updates
- Use a password manager to create strong, unique credentials
- Provide ongoing security awareness training; run phishing simulations and tabletop exercises
- Implement least privilege and regularly review access
- Establish and practice an incident response plan; promote a no-blame reporting culture
- Educate teams about deepfakes; set clear verification steps for audio, video, and high-risk approvals
Get involved
Explore ESET’s cybersecurity awareness training and share this message with your team. Follow along on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Instagram for more tips and videos all month long.