National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) 2017 is quickly approaching. Now in its 14th year, Oct. 1 marks the kickoff of this annual event dedicated to reminding all digital citizens and businesses that protecting the internet is “Our Shared Responsibility,” and that everyone plays a critical role in promoting a safer internet.
A widespread, impactful and growing campaign, NCSAM was co-founded and is co-led by the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCSA) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The month’s primary goal is to provide internet users and businesses with the information and tools they need to be safer and more secure online and to educate them on how to protect personal information in today’s highly connected world.
Everyone can join in and be a part of the something big by becoming a NCSAM 2017 Champion – organizations and individuals that have officially signed on to support the month. NCSAM Champions strengthen and boost the greater effort by spreading the word about online safety at home, at work and in the community and by hosting NCSAM Partner Events. To date, close to 500 organizational Champions and more than 215 individuals are paving the way to make NCSAM 2017 the most successful yet. Champions receive weekly emails during October with user-friendly materials – such as infographics, memes and sample social media posts – to stay involved with the month’s activities. This year, organizations that become Champions will also have the opportunity to co-brand an activity or engagement they may be planning as a NCSAM Partner Event.
“Early NCSAM involvement is greater than ever before. The basis of NCSAM’s success is the high level of collaboration among industry, government, academia and nonprofit organizations nationwide. And, this year, our network supporters and their active involvement have grown tremendously,” said Michael Kaiser, NCSA’s executive director. “NCSA and DHS strongly urge all organizations to protect themselves and all internet users by taking simple, actionable steps this October and throughout the year. Only by working together and sharing the responsibility to educate different groups about online safety, security and privacy will we make a dramatic difference in protecting the internet.”
NCSA’s core messaging campaign ‒ shared consistently throughout October and year-round ‒ is STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™, simple and actionable advice for every digital citizen. STOP: make sure security measures are in place. THINK: about the consequences of your actions and behaviors online. CONNECT: and enjoy the internet. STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™ is a global online safety awareness and education campaign with hundreds of partner organizations around the world. STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™ was co-founded by NCSA and the Anti-Phishing Working Group and is amplified through a partner network of almost 700 organizations that integrate the campaign into their education and awareness efforts and share the message in their communities. It’s easy (and free) to sign up as a STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™ partner; learn more here.
In order to reach a variety of audiences and tackle the most timely cybersecurity topics, each week in October is devoted to a unique theme. The NCSAM 2017 themes are:
- Week 1: Oct. 2-6 STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™: Simple Steps to Online Safety
- Week 2: Oct. 9-13 Cybersecurity in the Workplace Is Everyone’s Business
- Week 3: Oct. 16-20 Today’s Predictions for Tomorrow’s Internet
- Week 4: Oct. 23-27 The Internet Wants You: Consider a Career in Cybersecurity
- Week 5: Oct. 30-31 Protecting Critical Infrastructure From Cyber Threats
To learn more about the themes and how to join in and support NCSAM 2017, check out NCSA’s newest infographic. Keep in mind that on a weekly basis, NCSA and partners will distribute materials to make it easy to share valuable NCSAM 2017 information that supports the varying topics. Connect with us on social media and learn the latest NCSAM news by following and using the hashtag #CyberAware. Get involved in the conversation by participating in our weekly #ChatSTC Twitter chats, which take place every Thursday in October at 3 p.m. EDT/noon PDT (you can learn more about the October #ChatSTC chats and other NCSAM events – and submit your own event – here). NCSA has also created sample social media content that you can download and share leading up to and throughout the month. Additional information about NCSAM, along with resources like infographics, posters and social media content, can be found at staysafeonline.org/ncsam.
Source – PR Newswire
