October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM). Given its synergies with Safer Internet Day (SID) and the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) agenda in general, we are proud to support NCSAM as an official champion. We'll be joining a growing global effort among businesses, government agencies, colleges and universities, associations, nonprofit organisations and individuals to promote online safety awareness.

Date 2016-09-28 Author BIK team
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Recognised every October, NCSAM was created as a collaborative effort in the US between government and industry to ensure all digital citizens have the resources needed to stay safer and more secure online while also protecting their personal information. Coordinated and led by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), NCSAM has grown exponentially since its inception, reaching consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses, corporations, educational institutions and young people across the nation and internationally. NCSAM 2015 was an unprecedented success, generating more than 1,700 news stories: an increase of 74 per cent from NCSAM 2014's media coverage. Kicking off NCSAM's 13th year, this October presents a new opportunity to expand cybersecurity and privacy education and awareness globally.
 
"The Champion programme is a vital part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month's ongoing success. More than 700 organisations joined last year, a nearly 80 per cent increase from the year before," said Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance. "We are thankful to our 2016 Champion organisations for their support and commitment to our shared responsibility of promoting cybersecurity and online safety awareness."
 
Although having its roots in the US, and recognising the fact that the digital world removes geographic boundaries, National Cyber Security Awareness month has many synergies with the European strategy to deliver a better internet for our children, a key component of which is the Better Internet for Kids (BIK) portal. In line with the European Commission's strategy, the key vision behind the BIK portal is to create a better internet for children and young people. In more practical terms, it is our mission is to foster – through the BIK portal and associated services – the exchange of knowledge, expertise, resources and best practices between key online safety stakeholders, including industry, in order to increase access to high-quality content for children and young people, step up awareness and empowerment, create a safe environment for children online, and fight against child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation. As a global day of celebration and awareness raising, Safer Internet Day (SID) is organised in February of each year to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially among children and young people across the world. Safer Internet Day 2017 will be celebrated on Tuesday, 7 February 2017 with a theme of 'Be the change: Unite for a better internet'. We invite users to explore our portal and resources as part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month.
 
For more information about NCSAM, the Champion programme and how to participate in a wide variety of activities, visit staysafeonline.org/ncsam. You can also follow and use the official NCSAM hashtag #CyberAware on Twitter throughout the month.
 
 
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About National Cyber Security Awareness Month
Now in its 13th year, NCSAM is designed to engage and educate public- and private-sector partners through events and initiatives with the goal of raising awareness about cybersecurity in order to increase the resiliency of the nation in the event of a cyber incident. Since President Obama's proclamation establishing NCSAM in 2004, NCSAM has been formally recognised by Congress, federal, state and local governments and leaders from industry and academia. This united effort is necessary to maintain a cyberspace that is safer and more resilient and remains a source of tremendous opportunity and growth for years to come. For more information, visit staysafeonline.org/ncsam or dhs.gov/national-cyber-security-awareness-month.
 
About The National Cyber Security Alliance
The National Cyber Security Alliance is the leading nonprofit, public-private partnership promoting cybersecurity and privacy education and awareness in the US. NCSA works with the US Department of Homeland Security and NCSA's Board of Directors, which include representatives from ADP; AT&T Services, Inc.; Bank of America; Barclays; BlackBerry Corporation; Cisco; Comcast Corporation; ESET North America; Facebook; Google; Intel Corporation; Logical Operations; Microsoft Corp.; PayPal; PKWARE; RSA, the Security Division of EMC; Raytheon; SANS Institute; Symantec and Visa Inc. NCSA's core efforts include National Cyber Security Awareness Month (October), Data Privacy Day (28 January) and STOP. THINK. CONNECT., the global online safety awareness and education campaign led by NCSA and the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG), with federal government leadership from DHS. For more information on NCSA, please visit staysafeonline.org/about/.
 
About STOP. THINK. CONNECT.
STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™ is the global online safety awareness campaign to help all digital citizens stay safer and more secure online. The message was created by an unprecedented coalition of private companies, nonprofits and government organisations with leadership provided by NCSA and the APWG. The campaign was launched in October 2010 by the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. Messaging Convention in partnership with the US government, including the White House. NCSA, in partnership with the APWG, continues to lead the campaign. DHS leads the federal engagement in the campaign. Learn how to get involved by following STOP. THINK. CONNECT. on Facebook and Twitter and visiting stopthinkconnect.org

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