One-Month Countdown to National Cyber Security Awareness Month Begins

Get #CyberAware this October!

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Sep 01, 2015, 09:15 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- October 1 marks the start of the 12th annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), led by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), the nation's leading nonprofit, public-private partnership focused on helping all digital citizens stay safer and more secure online, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In recognition of how valuable the Internet is in our daily lives and the collective effort needed to protect it, the theme for the month is "Our Shared Responsibility."

National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2015: Our Shared Responsibility

NCSAM 2015 is energizing partners and people everywhere to play a role in protecting themselves and helping make the Internet more secure for everyone. Leading the charge are the month's Champions – individuals, educational institutions, businesses, government agencies and associations – who are taking action and making a difference by promoting online safety awareness through a range of month-long initiatives, programs and events. Already, more than 200 Champions are on board and ready to make this NCSAM the most far-reaching month yet.

"Over the years, our NCSAM has grown to be a broad-based effort with partners playing a critical role in spreading the word and empowering digital citizens everywhere to stay safer and more secure online," said NCSA Executive Director Michael Kaiser. "As businesses, institutions and organizations become increasingly reliant on a connected world, they have felt compelled to actively engage in cybersecurity education and awareness. NCSAM has become a launch pad for them to reach their core audiences."

NCSAM 2015 is set to take on the digital safety challenges facing most consumers and businesses today with actionable advice and relevant resources. Each week will focus on a unique theme designed to raise awareness across a range of topics:

Week 1: October 1-2 Five Years of STOP.THINK.CONNECT: Best Practices for All Digital Citizens
Week 2: October 5-9 Creating a Culture of Cybersecurity at Work
Week 3: October 13-16 Connected Communities and Families: Staying Protected While We Are Always Connected
Week 4: October 19-23 Your Evolving Digital Life (Internet of Things)
Week 5: October 26-30 Building the Next Generation of Cyber Professionals

Check out NCSA's infographic, "Securing the Internet is Our Shared Responsibility," to learn more about themes, tips and how to get engaged. Every week NCSA and others will have materials available to help partners spread messaging relevant to the week's theme. Follow the conversation and get the breaking news on the month's activities using NCSAM's new official hashtag, #CyberAware, on social media, and join weekly #ChatSTC Twitter chats every Thursday at 3 p.m. EDT/noon PDT. Additionally, NCSA has created sample social media posts that you can download and share leading up to and throughout the month. You can learn more about upcoming NCSAM events (and submit your own events to the calendar) at https://www.staysafeonline.org/ncsam/events. Additional resources (infographics, tip sheets and more) and information on getting involved and becoming a NCSAM Champion are available at https://www.staysafeonline.org/ncsam/

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 and digital privacy. Working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), private sector sponsors and nonprofit collaborators to promote cybersecurity awareness, NCSA board members include representatives from ADP, AT&T, Bank of America, BlackBerry, Comcast Corporation, EMC Corporation, ESET, Facebook, Google, Intel, Logical Operations, Microsoft, PayPal, PKWARE, Raytheon, Symantec, Verizon and Visa. Through collaboration with the government, corporate, nonprofit and academic sectors, NCSA's mission is to educate and empower digital citizens to use the Internet securely and safely, protect themselves and the technology they use, and safeguard the digital assets we all share. NCSA leads initiatives for STOP. THINK. CONNECT., a global cybersecurity awareness campaign to help all digital citizens stay safer and more secure online; Data Privacy Day, celebrated annually on January 28 and National Cyber Security Awareness Month, launched every October. For more information on NCSA, please visit staysafeonline.org/about-us/overview/.

About STOP. THINK. CONNECT.
STOP. THINK. CONNECT. is the global 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.

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SOURCE National Cyber Security Alliance