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Cyber Security
Stay Safe Online
02 Oct 2025
6 min read
As the home to Halloween, October has always been a month of scares and surprises. For the last 20 years, it’s also been an opportunity to discuss a collection of unsettling and potentially frightening issues in the real world through the annual growth and development of Cyber Security Awareness Month (CSAM).
In this blog we explore what CSAM is, the 2025 theme and some practical tips to help your organisation stay safe in the frightful world of cyber attacks.
CSAM began as a US based campaign in 2004. It was created to spread an understanding of the new dangers of the digital world and it quickly became a global concern. Everything was much simpler with an emphasis on basic security hygiene and the encouragement for people to adopt the use of passwords in general. For much of the small to medium enterprise world, this was all a new era and the idea that their organisation could be compromised, let alone targeted, would have been difficult to comprehend.
In 2025 it’s a very different story.
It’s no coincidence that the themes of the CSAM campaign for the UK in the last five years have been driven by more active messaging to instil greater levels of cyber security literacy across every team and every individual within businesses.
Reports from the first half of this year show that 43 % of overall companies in the country have experienced some kind of cyber security attack or breach in the last 12 months. Perhaps more worryingly this figure rises to 70% for medium sized businesses and 74% for larger enterprises.
The headlines that suggest a threat landscape evolving at a higher rate than the security measures that protect it are now so commonplace cannot be dismissed. And, that all becomes very real when a threat is realised and the impact is not just financial but reputational, making it even more difficult to recover from.
Additional factors such as an increasing blurring of the lines between personal and business devices, data and tools from Shadow IT and the relentless adoption of AI processes and methods in teams are further complicating the challenges for cyber security professionals.
Each year, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) sets the tone for Cyber Security Awareness Month by highlighting key areas where organisations can strengthen their defences. As the UK’s official authority on cyber security, their guidance reflects the most pressing threats and practical solutions for businesses of all sizes.
At BCN, we align our advice with the NCSC’s annual themes to ensure our partners and clients benefit from the most up-to-date and effective strategies. This year’s theme, ‘Stay Safe Online’, focuses on empowering individuals and teams to become the first line of defence against cyber threats.
The campaign centres around four key areas that every organisation should prioritise:
Many users still choose weak passwords like ‘password’, but strong passwords are crucial for protecting your data.
Security guidelines have shifted; frequent password changes sadly lead to worse choices, or a reuse of an old password.
Create passwords that are long, complex, and unique, using uncommon words, symbols, and numbers, and avoid any personal information that could be found online.
Most importantly – ensure that if your organisation’s network is breached due to poor passwords, that you have the systems to detect that breach immediately and the response plan in place to act and reduce any impact.
Password Tips in 2025
Multi-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to your accounts by verifying your identity beyond just passwords. It can be implemented in various ways, like facial recognition on mobile devices, one-time PIN codes sent via text, or additional security questions.
While MFA may seem inconvenient at first, it quickly becomes routine and significantly boosts your business and personal data security.
It’s important to review the MFA options for your platforms and tools and select the most appropriate one. Once applied, more protection increases your defences against cyber threats.
Your employees face constant cyber threats despite email filtering systems working hard. Still, some phishing emails will get through and your employees need to be aware and ready to report anything.
With Security Awareness Training, your employees will be tested with simulated phishing attempts that ensure they’re always verifying emails, links and senders. Your employees are your first line of defence.
Security Awareness Training
Keep your technology efficient and secure by regularly updating software, as software providers address vulnerabilities and improve security through updates.
Although managing updates can seem overwhelming, BCN offer automated solutions and guidance for manual upgrades to make the process hassle-free. Updates not only protect your systems but often come with new features that add value to your organisation.
Need help to pro-actively manage updates? BCN’s Managed Support
Do you know if you have any weaknesses that a cyber attacker could take advantage of? And could you recover if your were breached?
If you would like to refresh or understand your cyber security position, then our free Secure Score Assessment is the perfect way to start. You’ll gain an understanding of your vulnerabilities and current risks, and it’s a great way to benchmark your cyber security measures and start to build out a new strategy from.
Book your security assessment
Cyber threats are evolving, but so are the tools and strategies to fight them. Stay safe, stay smart, and let BCN help you lead the way.
At BCN, cyber security is more than a service—it’s a strategic commitment. As a trusted UK Microsoft Cloud Solutions partner, we combine deep technical expertise with a proactive approach to protecting organisations from today’s fast-evolving threat landscape.
