What is Cyber Security Awareness Month?

Cyber Security Awareness Month is dedicated to the entire month of October here in the United States to promote the awareness of cyber security education. The initiative started in 2004 by President Barack Obama and focuses on reaching out about the importance of protecting our nation against cyber security threats, vulnerabilities, and other risks. The slogan behind this very important month is focused on Our Shared Responsibility.

The month is designed to engage and educate public and private sector partners through events and initiatives to show that everyone has to play a part when it comes to protecting our nation’s cyber security. The more educated and aware we are, the stronger the nation’s security posture becomes. The Department of Homeland Security in partnership with the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) oversees national National Cyber Security Awareness Month efforts. Use hashtag #CyberAware to keep in touch with the conversation on social media.

Why is National Cyber Security Awareness Month so important?

We all know that security starts with your people. To support any major initiative, you need to start by having executive support or sometimes what is referred to as tone at the top. This means that your executives are fully aware of and embrace a strong cyber security culture within your organization. They don’t just support buying the newest security appliances and hardware, they also support improving the educational security culture. This is an important concept and our President serves as the tone at the top for our country. If we continue to promote cyber security awareness to our organizations, businesses, and educational institutions we can all help make a difference.

Continuous security awareness is important and this month is here to remind us of that. The month is not dedicated to being the only month to talk about security awareness, but is made to be a reminder to talk about the educational and awareness needs to protect our nation. Think about security awareness the same way you talk about some other topical areas. Whether it be safety for your home, healthy eating habits, or finances, we are always reminded and made aware of these topics. Security is no different and should be promoted consistently throughout the year to ensure everyone understands the risks and threats in the cyber security world we live in today.

The Department of Homeland Security has announced their agenda for the month.

October 1st-2nd

Marking the fifth anniversary of the Stop.Think.Connect. Campaign, focus on cybersecurity as a shared responsibility, and provide simple online tips to empower all Americans to be safer online.

The Organization of American States Cybersecurity Workshop, Washington, D.C.

October 5th-9th

Highlights the common threats businesses and employees are exposed to and provides resources for business and employees to stay safer online and enhance their existing security plans.

U.S. Chamber’s Fourth Annual Cybersecurity Summit, Washington, D.C.

October 12th-16th

Emphasizes the importance of protecting ourselves when connecting to the Internet while on the go. Provide best practices for using mobile devices and social media, and encourages us all to become better digital citizens in our communities.

The National Cyber Security Awareness Month Cybersecurity Events, Los Angeles, CA – NERC GridSecCon, Philadelphia, PA.

October 19th-23rd

Highlights the “smart world” we live in and the importance of educating all citizens on cybersecurity as more and more of the devices we use – from phones and tablets to homes and medical devices – become connected to the Internet. Provide a current snapshot of technology and where we envision technology taking us in the future.

NASDAQ Closing Bell Ceremony & Luncheon, New York, NY – ISACA CSX North America, Washington, D.C.

October 26th-30th

Looking to the future of the cybersecurity workforce, focusing on cybersecurity education and awareness in schools at all levels, and emphasizing the need for properly trained cybersecurity professionals.

Educause Annual Conference, Indianapolis, IN

What is Curricula doing during Cyber Security Awareness Month?

Curricula is going to be very busy during October, after all we are a security awareness training company! Our team is traveling the entire month of October, showing our support and enthusiasm behind our countries National Cyber Security Awareness Month. We start our month with an interview we had with the Atlanta Tech Village to talk a little about Curricula as a member of the Atlanta tech community.

We are using October to officially launch our newest product Curricula Aware. Aware is a new cyber security awareness training platform that we developed to improve the effectiveness and management of security awareness. Next we will be heading over to Philadelphia to the NERC GridSecCon. GridSecCon is a conference put on by NERC to talk about current cyber security issues in the utility industry that operates the power grid for our country. We will be showcasing our CIP Training platform that helps these companies learn more about the new compliance regulations coming in April of next year.

Next, we will be sponsoring the CSX North America conference presented by ISACA. CSX is going to be held in our nation’s capitol in Washington, DC and will cover a wide array of cyber security expertise and educational topics. Finally, we are going to be ending the month with a presentation over at the SERC compliance conference to talk about cyber security education. That will be in Charlotte, NC.

If you are attending any of these events come say hello to some of the Curricula team! We would love to talk with you. Otherwise, have a great Cyber Security Awareness Month and let’s all work towards keeping our nation secure!