European Cyber Security Month
Every year the European Union holds European Security Month to encourage safety online and this year’s campaign commenced on 1st October.
The central theme continues to be #ThinkB4UClick and for 2025 the focus will be on social engineering scams.
These are methods such as enticing offers or warnings that are contained in email or other messages and suggest you will lose connection to an account or service if you don’t click on a link access a website or download an App or software. They are used by cyber criminals to coerce victims into sharing the personal data or giving access to sensitive corporate and private online content that can then be used for fraudulent or other criminal purposes.
2025 Campaign
This month’s campaign highlights the many forms that phishing attacks can take from your regular fraudulent email that asks you to update your details for a variety of fake reasons to the QR code versions known as Quishing where scanning the code will bring you to a fake website that is designed to capture your information which can then be used to clean out bank accounts, create fake profiles or carry out some other form of criminality.
At the heart of all forms of cybercrime prevention is knowledge and awareness of the forms of online risks that exist and being prepared to respond when confronted with one. Education is key and upskilling in cyber threats is part of our everyday use of the Internet, whether we are security professionals and students, or a regular user of social media or online search engines.
For more information on European Cyber Security Month visit the dedicated website or the ENISA webpage.
If you are a victim of any form of online crime or abuse, please report it to your local Garda Stations. You can also download the GNCCB Cybercrime: Risks & Prevention Tips booklet for more information about online and how to #KeepSafeOnline.
The theme of the GNCCB campaign in 2025 is phishing attacks in keeping with the ECSM #SecureYourWorld theme