Cybersecurity Awareness Month: 5 Checks to Protect Your Business

Your business email, website and payment accounts deserve a proper security check this month.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. For 2026, the National Cybersecurity Alliance is encouraging people and businesses to make everyday security habits part of their routine.

For a business owner, that means checking the tools your team actually uses to receive orders, manage customers and approve payments. Start with these five checks.

1. Protect the accounts that control your business

Turn on multifactor authentication, which adds another verification step when you sign in. Start with email, website administration and payment accounts.

Check who can recover each account too. Keep recovery details secure and make sure they belong to the business.

2. Stop reusing passwords

Use a different password for every account and store them in a password manager. The Alliance's password guidance recommends passwords of at least 16 characters.

Give staff their own accounts where your tools support this. That makes access easier to review when someone changes roles or leaves.

3. Check what needs updating

Review your website software, plugins, business applications and staff devices. Install security updates promptly, with appropriate checks for systems your business depends on.

Ask the person maintaining your website to confirm what was updated and when. Put the next review in your calendar.

4. Make payment verification a team habit

A message asking you to change a supplier's bank details deserves a separate check. Call a known contact using a number you already trust before approving the change.

The Alliance's small business guidance, published in February, explains how criminals impersonate trusted partners to request money or information. Its advice is useful beyond tax season.

5. Check that you can recover your data

Back up important customer, order and financial records. Test restoring a sample so you know the files are usable.

Write down who will contact your hosting provider, secure affected accounts and update customers during an incident.

Give each check an owner