Cyber Hygiene

Cyber hygiene refers to the fundamental cybersecurity practices that every organization should maintain as a baseline — the basic 'housekeeping' that keeps your systems healthy and secure. Like personal hygiene prevents illness, cyber hygiene prevents the most common and preventable security incidents.

Core cyber hygiene practices include keeping software updated (patching), using strong and unique passwords with MFA, maintaining current antivirus protection, backing up data regularly, controlling user access, and training employees to recognize phishing. CMMC Level 1 essentially codifies these basic practices.

Why It Matters

Most successful cyber attacks exploit basic hygiene failures — unpatched systems, weak passwords, lack of MFA, untrained users. Getting the fundamentals right through consistent cyber hygiene prevents the majority of attacks, regardless of their sophistication.