October 1 kicked off the 13th Annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) in the United States. This is an initiative sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security, the National Cyber Security Alliance, and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center. This year's NCSAM theme is “Our Shared Responsibility.”
NCSAM is an annual campaign to raise awareness about security in a connected world. The campaign, and the weekly themes throughout the month, are meant to provide public and private sector partners with the tools and resources they need to stay safe online. Ultimately, the campaign is meant to increase the resiliency of the nation in the event of a cyber incident.
This year there are five weekly themes in the month:
October 3-7, 2016 – Every Day Steps Towards Online Safety with Stop.Think.Connect.™
Week 1 kicks off NCSAM 2016 and reinforces basic tips for everyone to be safer online, including more secure accounts through stronger authentication and keeping security updates current.
October 10-14, 2016 – Cybersecurity from the Break Room to the Board Room
From CEO to incoming entry-level employee, each organization’s cybersecurity posture is reliant on a shared level of vigilance and awareness.
October 17-21, 2016 – Recognizing and Combating Cybercrime
Week 3 focuses on the signs of criminal intent through technology and what individuals can do to detect and prevent cybercrime.
October 24-28, 2016 – Our Continuously Connected Lives: What’s Your ‘App’-titude?
With compounding growth of connected technologies – cars, household appliances, finances, healthcare, and more being increasingly managed by smart devices – week 4 looks at areas of opportunity for individuals to operate securely in a digital society.
October 31, 2016 –Building Resilience in Critical Infrastructure
The linkage between cyber and physical security is essential to the resiliency of critical infrastructure at both the local and national level. Resilience of essential systems and assets, from power grids to banking systems, is vital to our national security, economy, and public health and safety.
Now in its 13th year, NCSAM is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its public and private partners, including the National Cyber Security Alliance, to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity and individual cyber hygiene. Learn more about the campaign in this NCSAM pdf download.
Christine Barry is Senior Chief Blogger and Social Media Manager at Barracuda. In this role, she helps bring Barracuda stories to life and facilitate communication between the public and Barracuda internal teams. Prior to joining Barracuda, Christine was a field engineer and project manager for K12 and SMB clients for over 15 years. She holds several technology credentials, a Bachelor of Arts, and a Master of Business Administration. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan.
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