Throughout the month of October, the Cybersecurity Tech Accord and its signatories are proud to be promoting greater cybersecurity awareness alongside governments, organizations and communities around the world as part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. While as an industry we continue to work to improve the cyber defenses in our products and services, there is no replacement for good cyber hygiene practiced by users. Simple things like updating your software and maintaining complex unique passwords continue to be the cornerstone of good security. However, lack of awareness is a persistent challenge, which is why the Cybersecurity Tech Accord is encouraging nations everywhere to join in recognizing and celebrating October as Cybersecurity Awareness Month to help keep their citizens informed.
Promoting cybersecurity awareness falls squarely within the Cybersecurity Tech Accord’s 3rd principle – We will help empower users, customers and developers to strengthen cybersecurity protection – which recognizes the technology industry’s responsibility to join with governments and other stakeholders to help users and customers be safe and aware of cyber risk. To this end, the Cybersecurity Tech Accord has been working to share the resources and initiatives developed by its signatories to improve cybersecurity awareness – much of which is included in our ever-growing video library of webinars that are free to access and which tackle some of the most pressing cybersecurity challenges of our time. We have also published a new draft report that details cybersecurity awareness initiatives in the Commonwealth of Nations and provides industry guidance.
Beyond our own resources though, there are many readily available materials intended to improve the cybersecurity awareness and capabilities of governments, organizations and individuals. Below is a list of the “Top 10” such resources currently available for each of these groups. We hope you will join us, wherever you are in the world, in celebrating and promoting Cybersecurity Awareness Month throughout October and sharing these materials with others to help build a more safe and secure online world for us all.
Top 10 resources for your Cybersecurity Awareness Month!
For individuals:
- “Stay Safe Online” initiative by the National Cyber Security Alliance https://staysafeonline.org/stay-safe-online/
- “Cyber Tips 4 You” video series by Singapore’s Cyber Security Awareness Alliance https://www.csa.gov.sg/gosafeonline/go-safe-for-me/homeinternetusers/cyber-tips-4-you-videos
- “European Cyber Security Month – NIS Quiz” video and other content by the EU Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) https://cybersecuritymonth.eu/references/quiz-demonstration/intro
- “Stop.Think.Connect” initiative by the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) and National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) https://www.stopthinkconnect.org/tips-advice
- “Get Cyber Safe – Resources” from the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security https://www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/index-en.aspx
For businesses:
- “Cybersecure My Business” initiative by the National Cyber Security Alliance https://staysafeonline.org/cybersecure-business/
- “Cybersecurity for Small Business” resources for SMEs by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/small-businesses/cybersecurity
- “Go Safe For Business” initiative by Singapore’s Cyber Security Awareness Alliance https://www.csa.gov.sg/gosafeonline
For governments:
- “Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign Toolkit” by the Organization of American States (OAS) https://www.thegfce.com/documents/publications/2015/10/01/cybersecurity-awareness-campaign-toolkit
- “Focus awareness-building through a cybersecurity Awareness Month” by the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE) https://www.thegfce.com/initiatives/g/global-campaign-to-raise-cybersecurity-awareness/documents/publications/2017/11/21/focus-awareness-building-through-a-cybersecurity-awareness-month