Thursday, 11 October 2012

National Cyber Security Awareness Month

With all the thought of one’s online identity, the United States Department of Homeland Security created National Cyber Security Awareness Month for the month of October each year. This was created nine years ago to engage and educate the public about cybersecurity.
Each week in October, National Cyber Security Awareness Month will focus on one topic:

Week 1: Stop. Think. Connect- cybersecurity awareness

Week 2: Law Enforcement and Cybersecurity- national and local efforts to prevent identity theft

Week 3: Industry Efforts in Cybersecurity- strategies businesses can use to strengthen their own cybersecurity defenses

Week 4: K-Life: Digital Literacy Efforts- shows urgent need to develop cyber education programs for next generation

The government gives these simple steps to remain secure online:

·      Set strong passwords and don’t share with anyone
·      Keep your operating system optimized by installing updates
·      Maintain an open dialogue with family, friends and community about internet safety
·      Limit the amount of personal information posted online and use privacy settings to avoid sharing information widely
·      Be cautious about what you receive or read online

So, will you be participating in National Cyber Security Awareness Month?



2 comments:

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  2. The launch of the Awareness month is a necessary action, as everyone becomes more connected online and spends an increasing amount of time on the Internet. Yet, as someone who is very active on the Internet, I did not see any ads reminding or informing people to be safe Internet users or any special promotions for the Cyber Security Awareness Month. The campaign needs to make more of an impact on Canadians. It is a possibility that Get Cyber Safe is targeting a younger age group and therefore I am unaware of the campaign's' efforts, but as the purpose of Get Cyber Safe is help protect all Canadians they should be focusing on everyone. Many young and old adults are not safe Interne users. In order to reach the young adult age category, Get Cyber Safe should consider partnering with universities, especially during next years Cyber Security Awareness Month. The consequence of not being safe on the Internet can greatly affect someone's life and potentially one's online profile. The decisions a university student makes may impact their work life after they have graduated as anyone can access most of the information on the Internet.

    Here is the new release regarding the launch of the Cyber Security Awareness Month in Canada.
    http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/media/nr/2012/nr20120927-1-eng.aspx

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