Awareness to action: Cybersecurity tips from Alliant’s CISO

During Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Alliant Credit Union's Chief Information Security Officer Moe Tayba recommends three core habits to protect your accounts: pause before clicking unfamiliar links, strengthen your passwords with multi-factor authentication or passkeys, and report suspicious activity immediately. These simple actions create a stronger defense against cybercriminals.

Every October, organizations across the country recognize Cybersecurity Awareness Month — a reminder that staying safe online takes both strong technology and smart personal habits. At Alliant Credit Union, protecting members' financial security is central to everything we do. But cybersecurity isn't something a financial institution can handle alone.

"Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility," says Moe Tayba, Chief Information Security Officer at Alliant Credit Union. "We can invest in the best security technologies available, but some of the strongest protections come from the simple decisions we make every day: taking a moment to verify a message, using strong authentication, and staying alert online."

What you’ll learn:

• Why does protecting your accounts require more than just technology?
• How Can You Avoid Clicking a Malicious Link?
• What Makes a Password Strong Enough to Stop Hackers?
• Why Is It Important to Stay Alert and Report Suspicious Activity?
• A Shared Responsibility

Why Does Protecting Your Accounts Require More Than Just Technology?

Financial institutions like Alliant invest heavily in fraud monitoring, encryption, and authentication systems. Even so, cybercriminals often target the weakest link in the chain: human behavior. Phishing emails, fraudulent texts, and fake websites are designed to exploit trust and urgency, not to break through firewalls. That's why Moe Tayba frames security as a partnership between the credit union's technology and each member's daily choices.

How Can You Avoid Clicking a Malicious Link?

Clicking a malicious link remains one of the easiest ways cybercriminals gain access to personal information. Phishing emails, fraudulent texts, and fake websites often look convincing, and scammers count on people acting quickly without stopping to question what's in front of them.

Before you click on any link, Moe recommends a few quick checks:

• Examine the sender. Look closely at the email address or phone number. Does it match the organization it claims to represent?
• Preview the link. Hover over any link to see the actual URL before opening it.
• Watch for urgency. Be skeptical of messages that pressure you to act fast, such as "your account will be closed today" or "click here to claim your prize."
• Go direct. If something feels off, skip the link entirely and visit the company's official website or app instead.

"That extra moment of pause can be the difference between safety and compromise," Tayba says.

What Makes a Password Strong Enough to Stop Hackers?

Passwords remain a first line of defense, but relying on them alone is no longer considered best practice. Many people still reuse passwords across accounts or default to easy-to-guess choices like birthdays or pet names, habits that make an attacker's job far easier.

A strong password should be:

• Unique. Never reuse the same password across different sites.
• Complex. Mix uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.
• Protected. Store passwords in a password manager instead of relying on memory.

Beyond passwords, Moe points to two additional layers worth adopting. The first is multi-factor authentication (MFA), which adds a second verification step, like a code texted to your phone or a biometric scan, so a stolen password alone isn't enough to access your account. The second is passkeys, a newer and increasingly recommended login method that replaces traditional passwords with device-based biometrics or PINs, making credentials far harder to steal or phish.

"Alliant uses advanced authentication measures to safeguard member accounts," Tayba notes. "But members can further strengthen their own security by adopting stronger login methods, like MFA or passkeys where available, rather than relying on a password alone."

Why Is It Important to Stay Alert and Report Suspicious Activity?

Even with strong passwords and cautious clicking habits, threats can still slip through. That's why staying alert and reporting anything unusual right away matters just as much as prevention.

Watch for warning signs like:

• Unexpected login notifications.
• Unrecognized charges on your account.
• Emails or texts asking for sensitive information.

If you notice anything unusual in your Alliant account, contact us immediately. The faster you act, the faster Alliant can help protect your finances.

"Cybercriminals succeed when people ignore small red flags," Tayba emphasizes. "Speaking up, whether to your financial institution, employer, or even a friend, can prevent a small concern from becoming a major issue."

A Shared Responsibility

Cybersecurity Awareness Month is more than an annual reminder. It's a call to action. Alliant Credit Union invests in cutting-edge technology and monitoring systems to protect member accounts, but every member plays a role in keeping the broader digital community safe.

By following Moe Tayba's three core habits, pausing before you click, strengthening your authentication, and staying alert enough to speak up, you can help stop cybercriminals before they succeed.

This October, take a few minutes to review your online habits. Update your passwords, turn on multi-factor authentication or passkeys where available, question that suspicious link, and remember: when in doubt, report it. Security works best as a shared effort.