Make life difficult for cybercriminals
October 1, 2026Celebrating Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and this year’s message is simple: Don’t make life easy for cybercriminals.
You don’t have to be a cybersecurity expert to make their jobs harder. A few simple habits—using strong, unique passwords, turning on multifactor authentication, keeping software updated and slowing down when something seems suspicious—can go a long way.
Meet the criminals
Throughout October, we’ll introduce you to four real cybercriminals and the shortcuts they hope you’ll take:
- Dpxaker is counting on weak and reused passwords.
- Cozy Bear is waiting for you to put off that software update.
- Zestix is looking for accounts without multifactor authentication.
- Giant Company wants you to click, respond or act before you have time to think.
Each week, we’ll take a closer look at one of these threats and share a few simple ways to make life harder for them.
Find more cybersecurity resources
You can find more free cybersecurity tips and resources from the National Cybersecurity Alliance. The Cybersecurity and Infrastrastructure & Security Agency (CISA.gov) offers its own Cybersecurity Awareness Month toolkit, following their theme of “Securing the Next 250.”
Heartland’s Resources web page also has cybersecurity content you can share on your website and social feeds.
Lastly, as a reminder, American Public Power Association is hosting a webinar on October 8 designed to help all employees—not just cyber professionals—recognize and respond to cyber threats. The two-hour webinar is free for APPA members, including Heartland customer municipalities.
The goal isn’t to become an expert. It’s to build a few habits that help protect you, your accounts and your organization.
This October, make life difficult for cybercriminals.