President Biden has declared October 2022 as Cybersecurity Awareness Month – making it the 19th consecutive year of that designation.
The president and Congress have declared October to be Cybersecurity Awareness Month since 2004, with the aim of helping Americans to protect themselves online.
“Cybersecurity is not limited to government or critical infrastructure. Hackers target Americans every day, and cybersecurity is about protecting the American people and the services we rely on,” President Biden said in a proclamation. “This month, I encourage all Americans to increase their cybersecurity at home, at work, and in schools by taking steps such as enabling multi-factor authentication, using a trusted password manager and strong passwords, recognizing and reporting phishing, and updating their software regularly.”
Cybersecurity Awareness Month also builds momentum through a co-led effort by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA). This year, CISA and NCA have selected “See Yourself in Cyber” as the campaign theme for 2022.
“This October will focus on the ‘people’ part of cybersecurity, providing information and resources to help educate CISA partners and the public, and ensure all individuals and organizations make smart decisions whether on the job, at home, or at school – now and in the future,” CISA said. “We encourage each of you to engage in this year’s efforts by creating your own cyber awareness campaigns and sharing this messaging with your peers.”
Throughout October, CISA and NCA will highlight key steps everyone can take to improve their cyber hygiene. As highlighted by President Biden, these include recognizing and reporting phishing; updating software; using strong passwords; and enabling multi-factor authentication.
For organizations that would like to become a Cybersecurity Awareness Month partner, CISA and NCA said they can join the campaign by emailing Cyberawareness@cisa.dhs.gov.
The Office of the National Cyber Director is also playing a part in celebrating Cybersecurity Awareness Month, focusing on the theme of “we all have a part to play.”
“Our office is excited to join in with our friends at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the National Cybersecurity Alliance, and all of those on team cyber to celebrate National Cybersecurity Awareness Month,” said National Cyber Director Chris Inglis.
“Throughout the month, we’ll spotlight some of the many cyber heroes around the Federal government and feature other ways that we’re working together to protect the American people in cyberspace,” Inglis added. “We hope you’ll stay tuned for our updates throughout the month.”
