Given the fact that the most common passwords for computer users are not secure at all – “password” and “12345” – cybersecurity is an issue that should be a concern to even the personal user.

That was the message recently conveyed by a panel of cybersecurity experts hosted by the Center of Excellence for Security Innovation (CSI), a collaboration between UConn School of Engineering and Comcast.

Donna Dodson, chief cybersecurity advisor for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), told the audience at Wilbur Cross that getting individuals as well as companies to think about cybersecurity is the first step toward a more secure network.

“I may not understand the mechanics of my car, but I know it’s my responsibility to keep it safe,” said Dodson, the featured speaker at the event.

Toward that end, the NIST wrote a guidebook for the public, titled “Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity,” which provides a “common language” for people. “It promotes concepts of resiliency and protecting your environment,” Dodson said.

UConn’s Mark Tehranipoor, director of CSI, said raising awareness about cybersecurity concerns should begin early. “We really have to take it down to the undergraduate level and even bring it down to high school level.”

It was a sentiment reiterated by Liam Randall of Critical Stack, an Ohio-based company that specializes in network security. For every person working on preventing attacks, he said, someone else is working on new ways to carry out such attacks.

“When you look at the impact that one person can have, that really keeps me up at night,” he said.

Based on the panel discussion, the impact of a single person can apply to the common user as well as the hacker.