The National Cybersecurity Awareness Month or NCSAM first started in 2004. And has since become a yearly event every October.
But what is it and what happened in this year’s NCSAM?
Let us take a look at this article.
National Cybersecurity Awareness Month
As said, the National Cybersecurity Awareness Month is held every October. This is an effort between the government and industries.
It aims to raise awareness of the value of cybersecurity. And ensure that all Americans can get all their needs to be more secure online.
It is under the leadership of two agencies within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security:
- National Cybersecurity Alliance or NCSA
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency or CISA
Everyone leading the NCSA believes that cybersecurity is vital. To the success of businesses in every sector.
Then, its design is to engage and help educate everyone in the public and private. They do this by doing events and initiatives.
With this, the end goal is to strengthen the nation’s cybersecurity. So they are more prepared in an event of any cyber incident or attacks.
Since its start in 2004, the event was recognized by:
- Congress
- Federal, state, and local governments
- Industry leaders
- Academia leaders
Further, for businesses, this is a chance to stress the value of working together. Every employee can learn that they can help prevent cyber attacks.
This is by helping them build cybersecurity best practices. Both by digital and non-digital ways. Thus, by promoting the value of cybersecurity, companies can grow even further.
To aid in this, companies can request to have a CISA speaker over. So that they can help educate their employees in their NCSAM event.
So, what was the theme and schedule for this year’s NCSAM?
NCSAM 2020 Theme and Schedule
The theme for this year’s NCSAM was: “Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart.”
The theme encourages both individuals and organizations. This is so that both can own up to their roles in helping protect cyberspace.
Then, stressing the value that each has its liability and the value of taking proactive steps. This is to ensure they do not make mistakes and make efforts to better cybersecurity.
In the whole of October, the NCSAM also stressed “If You Connect It, Protect It.” Then, every week, they had different promotions and outreach.
On October 1 and 2 the event was the Official NCSAM Kick-off.
Then on the week of October 5 was the first week. The theme was: “If You Connect It, Protect It.”
Week of October 12 or the 2nd week’s theme was: “Securing Devices at Home and Work.”
Week of October 19 or the 3rd week’s theme was: “Securing Internet-Connected Devices in Healthcare.”
Last, the theme for the week of October 26 was: “The Future of Connected Devices”
Additionally, NCSAM had many resources. These 11 tip sheets are free to download and is very helpful for many.
Further, NCSA and CISA encouraged people to use the NCSAM’s hashtag. Letting them use #BeCyberSmart before and during October.
So, were you able to take part in this year’s NCSAM? What key points did you learn?
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