Who is responsible for cybersecurity? NBT Bank has some ideas.

By Terra Carnrike-Granata, Vice President and Director of Information Security and Fraud Risk

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an increasingly important but still elusive topic. Growing numbers of individuals and organizations are being targeted and falling victim to cybercrimes. So, whose responsibility is it to ensure online safety at work and at home?

While NBT Bank and other banks across the country – and the world – are laser focused on safeguarding and educating customers, the real answer is that it takes a village.

At work, each employee is responsible and plays a significant role in safeguarding information. It is important to report any emails you suspect might be a phishing attempt. Your organization’s leaders, your technical support or your bank can help determine if a suspicious email is phishing and if there are any trends or harmful links and attachments.

At home, anyone who uses an internet-connected device should make it a priority to understand how to stay secure in everyday life, such as creating strong passwords and protecting those passwords, safeguarding and properly discarding sensitive documents, securing your wireless network and keeping devices up-to-date, and knowing how to recognize and avoid suspicious emails.

Threats are in abundance for the financial sector. To combat threats, NBT and many other banks have several tools and multiple layers of defense to protect and secure customers’ most sensitive information, to monitor threats daily and to stop them before they affect you. That is why we launched a Fraud Information Center at nbtbank.com/fraud for anyone who would like to learn more about active threats targeting consumers and businesses.

The “village” that we have described to protect against cybercrime includes a mix of professionals and everyday citizens, as well as the tools we mentioned above to keep you safe. The most important steps for protecting yourself and loved ones from cybercrime are: knowing how to recognize a scam and knowing what steps to take if you become a victim. It is important to report any suspicious activity, so your financial institution can help you in detecting and correcting any problems. NBT Bank is committed to helping customers keep their finances, identity and personal information safe.

This year for Cybersecurity Awareness Month, let’s continue to work together to increase awareness and decrease cybercrime.

About NBT Bank

NBT Bank offers personal banking, business banking and wealth management services from locations in six states, including New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. The bank and its parent company, NBT Bancorp, are headquartered in Norwich, NY. NBT Bancorp had assets of $9.5 billion as of June 30, 2018, and is traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol NBTB. More information about NBT is available online at www.nbtbank.com. Member FDIC.