BRAINERD — October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an international initiative that educates about online safety and empowers individuals and businesses to protect their data from cybercrime.

This year, the focus is on the government entities and small and medium businesses that are vital to protecting the systems and services that sustain us every day. Much of the nation’s critical infrastructure is owned and operated by state, local, tribal and territorial governments as well as private companies. Additionally, vendors, suppliers and other parts of the supply chain that support or are connected to critical infrastructure play a critical cybersecurity role.

The theme of Cybersecurity Awareness Month is Building a Cyber Strong America, highlighting the need to strengthen the country’s

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