National Cyber Security Awareness Month PSA Campaign

Helping Americans To Stay Safe Online

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Oct 02, 2014, 05:10 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, has collaborated with the Department of Homeland Security to launch a new PSA campaign in October to educate the American public in conjunction with National Cyber Security Awareness Month. An extension of the national cybersecurity education and awareness effort, STOP. THINK. CONNECT., the new PSAs provide helpful advice about being more vigilant and practicing safe online habits.

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month. (PRNewsFoto/National Cyber Security Alliance) (PRNewsFoto/National Cyber Security Alliance)

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7312051-stop-think-connect-online-safety-psa-s/

At work, home, school and on the go, the public is continuously connected. Learning to be safer and more secure online is a life long habit. In a recent study, 45% of 18-26 year olds report that their first "talk" about staying safe online was from a parent and 20% got their first advice from a teacher. These early conversations with young people as they begin to go online is a critical juncture for ensuring safer online actions (2014 Raytheon/NCSA Millennial Survey).

The PSAs are resources crafted to make a variety of audiences more informed on cyber risks and aware of preventive actions to take. The television and radio spots demonstrate the importance of being aware of online activity and everyone's shared responsibility in cybersecurity. The first installment of PSAs address risks related to playing on the Internet, sharing information and cyber threats associated with daily online activity.

The PSAs will run and air in advertising time and space donated by the media. Since the launch of STOP. THINK. CONNECT. in 2010, several other outreach tools have been developed to encourage individuals to take small steps to reduce online threats.

"The STOP. THINK. CONNECT. campaign is a collaborative effort to create a culture of cybersecurity so everyone can use the Internet safely and more securely," said Michael Kaiser the executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance. "STOP. THINK. CONNECT. is a simple yet powerful message for change and is modeled after other efforts to engage everyone to adopt preventive and safer practices such as those to prevent wildfires and drunk driving."

The development of the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. campaign was led by NCSA and the APWG (www.apwg.org) the campaign was created by twenty-five companies and seven Federal agencies working together to harmonize a simple message that could guide everyone to be safer and more secure online. To date, more than 150 companies, nonprofits, schools and government agencies have signed on to use the message and campaign assets.

For resources and tips to stay safe online visit www.dhs.gov/stopthinkconnect or www.stopthinkconnect.org

About The National Cyber Security Alliance
The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) is the nation's leading nonprofit public private partnership promoting the safe and secure use of the Internet. Working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), private sector sponsors and non-profit collaborators to promote cybersecurity awareness, NCSA board members include ADP, AT&T, Bank of America, Comcast Corporation, EMC Corporation, ESET, Facebook, Google, Intel, Leidos, McAfee, Microsoft, PayPal, Symantec, Trend Micro, Verizon and Visa. Through collaboration with the government, corporate, non-profit and academic sectors, NCSA's mission is to educate and empower a digital citizenry to use the Internet securely and safely protect themselves and the technology they use and the digital assets we all share. For more information on NCSA please visit: http://www.staysafeonline.org/about-us/overview/

About STOP. THINK. CONNECT.
STOP. THINK. CONNECT. is the national cybersecurity education and awareness campaign. The campaign was created by an unprecedented coalition of private companies, non-profits and government organizations with leadership provided by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG). The Department of Homeland Security leads the federal engagement in the campaign. Learn how to get involved at STOP.THINK.CONNECT.org.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7312051-stop-think-connect-online-safety-psa-s/

SOURCE National Cyber Security Alliance