Safer Internet Day, celebrated on 10 February, aims to raise awareness of the importance of digital security a shared responsibility. Every online interaction and every system access contributes either to strengthening or weakening collective security.

In Portugal, more than 75% of companies have already faced incidents caused by human error, and 90% of cyberattacks begin with phishing or social engineering. Globally, cyberattacks affect millions of organisations, and the worldwide costs of cybercrime are estimated to grow by more than 15% per year^*.

As digitalisation advances, exposure to risk also increases. In Portugal, cybercrime costs are estimated to grow by more than 12% annually, impacting operations, reputation and trust in digital services. Security is no longer just a technical challenge; it has become a strategic pillar of governance and business sustainability.

Protecting the digital ecosystem depends on conscious choices, robust processes and an organisational culture focused on prevention and responsibility. On Safer Internet Day, we reaffirm our commitment to a safer, more resilient and trustworthy digital future in Portugal and around the world, where technology is a driver of sustainable growth rather than a source of risk.

To strengthen digital protection and resilience, Devoteam Cyber Trust highlights a set of best practices:

• Use strong and unique passwords: compromised credentials are associated with more than 60% of security breaches.
• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA), reducing the risk of unauthorised access to critical systems by up to 99%.
• Stay alert to social engineering attempts, which are responsible for the majority of successful attacks recorded in Portugal.
• Keep systems, applications and devices up to date, mitigating vulnerabilities that continue to be exploited by cybercriminals.
• Protect sensitive and confidential information, minimising legal, financial and reputational risks associated with data breaches.
• Promote ongoing cybersecurity training and awareness, which helps reduce incidents by more than 50%.

Marking Safer Internet Day is essential to promote safe and responsible internet use, encouraging data protection, risk prevention, online respect and healthy digital habits.

^*Data from Cybersecurity Ventures

Learn more about Safer Internet Day here: https://internetsegura.pt/dia-internet-mais-segura (content in PT)