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Last week I wrote about cybersecurity. In this economy, where a great deal of young people search for jobs and there is less financial stability among middle-aged Americans, criminals migrate to “where the money is” and prey upon elderly people. Protecting the privacy of elderly employees and customers should be of special concern to your organization.

Case in point. A story from Mobile, Alabama. An insurance agent there has plead guilty to an indictment accusing her of going to a specific nursing home and surreptitiously signing up its elderly residents for life insurance policies without their knowledge. Why? She received over $3,800 in commissions for the sales. The residents paid hundreds of dollars for insurance they did not request.

My community suffered a double-homicide on Friday at a local manufacturing plant. First reports indicate the crime was a “crime of passion” committed by a suspect who knew both victims.

Unfortunately, this is not a rare event in the workplace. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that, for 2009, nearly 16% of fatal occupational injuries were the result of workplace violence. Of those incidents, 10% were fatalities. From 2004 to 2008, an average of 564 work-related homicides per year took place.

So, its Cybersecurity Awareness Month and you want to improve cybersecurity in your organization. What can you do?

First, you can take steps to educate your employees on cybersecurity. The National Cyber Security Alliance has a set of free posters and tip sheets for business owners and parents. The Site also lists conferences, webinars, and links to resources to further train employees and managers.

Your business is practicing cybersecurity. Employees are trained, access to your intranet and to the Internet is limited, firewalls are in place. But, what about your vendors?

Consider some of the information shared with your vendors:

• Tax identification numbers.
• Names of contact people in your organization.
• Phone numbers, addresses, e-mails.

Does your organization have a policy in place to insure vendors are practicing online security? Do you require your vendors to carry insurance covering damage done to your business through a breach in their security? What about the vendor who knows your most intimate corporate information – your attorneys?

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The purpose of the event is to draw awareness to the importance of cybersecurity:

“People cannot value security without first understanding how much is at risk. Therefore, the Federal government should initiate a national public awareness and education campaign…This campaign should focus on public messages to promote responsible use of the Internet and awareness of fraud, identity theft, cyber predators, and cyber ethics.”

This year the motto is “Stop. Think. Connect.” The goal is to make cybersecurity second nature for all Americans of every generation.