You are viewing an old version of this page. View the current version.

Compare with Current View Page History

« Previous Version 166 Next »

Last reviewed: August 2017

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month! Some quick links to get you started...

  1. First, take a few minutes to complete this 8-question NCSAM Planning Guide worksheet (PDF or Word) to help you think about what resources and materials may be required.
  2. Visit our toolkits to find sample materials and free, adaptable resources: NCSAM Sample Kit, Cybersecurity Awareness Resource Library, Security Awareness Quick Start Guide, and Security Awareness Detailed Instruction Manual.
  3. Find a guest speaker using our Speakers Bureau.
  4. Learn about the 2017 weekly themes in October and download free materials at StaySafeOnline.org or Stop.Think.Connect.
  5. Keep reading to learn more about security awareness, why security awareness is important, critical success factors for awareness activities, National Cyber Security Awareness Month, how we plan for NCSAM, and additional resources (including links to state, regional, and international efforts).
  6. Make plans for a year-round security awareness and education campaign by using our annual Campus Security Awareness Campaign framework, whether you promote topics monthly or quarterly. (2017 guest blogs now available; 2018 topics & new blogs coming soon!)

Sign up as 2017 NCSAM Champion now and join EDUCAUSE, Internet2, and the REN-ISAC as a champion in support of the higher education community! Over 100 colleges and universities have signed up so far.

National Cyber Security Awareness Month Champion logo

You can also share your plans for events, activities, or training sessions during the month of October by sending us an e-mail.

2017 Campus Events & NCSAM Champions

  • Austin Peay State University
  • Azusa Pacific University
  • Baker College
  • Baylor University
  • Binghamton University
  • Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia
  • Boise State University
  • Broward College
  • Bryn Mawr College
  • California Lutheran University
  • California Polytechnic State University
  • California Western School of Law
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • Central Washington University
  • Chapman University
  • Claremont University Consortium
  • Clark College
  • Connecticut College
  • Cornell University
  • County College of Morris
  • DeSales University
  • Drake University
  • Duquesne University
  • El Paso Community College
  • Florida Atlantic University
  • Grinnell College
  • Indiana Tech
  • Indiana University of Pennsylvania
  • Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus
  • Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
  • Kennesaw State University
  • Lafayette College
  • Lehigh University
  • Lone Star College
  • Mercer University
  • New Mexico State University Doña Ana
  • Pepperdine University
  • Pomona College
  • Princeton University
  • Quinnipiac University
  • Raritan Valley Community College
  • Richard Bland College
  • Rochester Institute of Technology
  • San Antonio College
  • South Arkansas Community College
  • Temple University
  • Texas A&M University 
  • University of Arizona
  • University of Arkansas
  • University at Buffalo
  • University of California, Davis
  • University of California, Los Angeles
  • University of California, Merced
  • University of California, Office of the President
  • University of California, San Diego
  • University of California, San Francisco
  • University of California, Santa Barbara
  • University of California, Santa Cruz
  • University of California, Riverside
  • University of Findlay
  • University of Illinois, Springfield
  • University of Indianapolis
  • University of Iowa
  • University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
  • University of North Georgia
  • University of Northern Colorado
  • University of Oregon 
  • University of Professional Studies, Accra
  • University of San Diego
  • University of Tennessee Health Science Center
  • University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture
  • University of Virginia
  • University of Washington, Bothell
  • Utica College
  • Valparaiso University
  • Villanova University
  • Wayne County Community College District

What is Cyber Security Awareness?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines awareness as "The quality or state of being aware; consciousness." Aware is defined as "Informed; cognizant; conscious; sensible."

The purpose of cyber security awareness presentations is simply to focus attention on cyber security. Awareness presentations are intended to allow individuals to recognize information technology security concerns and respond accordingly.

  • The learner is the recipient of information
  • The information reaches broad audiences
  • Attractive packaging techniques are used

We can characterize a user's cyber security awareness level by describing it as the actions a user takes in a given security situation. Do they know about any policies governing that activity? Do they follow the policy? What happens when they are confronted by a new situation that is not addressed by the policy?

Why is Cyber Security Awareness Important?

To protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information in today's highly networked systems environment requires that all individuals:

  • Understand their roles and responsibilities related to the organizational mission
  • Understand the organization's information technology security policy, procedures, and practices
  • Have at least adequate knowledge of the various management, operational, and technical controls required and available to protect the IT resources for which they are responsible

Cyber security awareness programs impress upon users the importance of cyber security and the adverse consequences of its failure. Awareness may reinforce knowledge already gained, but its goal is to produce security behaviors that are automatic. The goal is to make "thinking security" a natural reflex for everyone in the organization. Awareness activities can build in these reflexes both for the security professional and for the everyday user.

Critical Success Factors for Awareness Activities

  • They are based on the organization's policies
  • They have senior management support
  • The focus is on people at all levels of the organization
  • They are effectively planned:
    • Based on user's needs, roles, and interests
    • Identifies security problems in the organization that need addressing
  • They use appealing materials and methods

Awareness programs usually use repetition to reinforce desired behaviors and attitudes about security.

What is National Cyber Security Awareness Month?

National Cyber Security Awareness Month is an annual effort to increase awareness and prevention of online security problems, spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA). The Higher Education Information Security Council (HEISC) promotes and participates in the annual campaign each October, joining forces with a range of organizations from the public and private sector to expand cybersecurity awareness on campuses across the country. HEISC offers many resources made by and for information security professionals in higher education.

How Do We Plan for National Cyber Security Awareness Month?

The following NCSAM Planning Guide worksheet (PDF or Word) will help you to think about how your institution might go about implementing a plan to take advantage of National Cyber Security Awareness Month. You can also use the Annual Campus Security Awareness Campaign, which includes a printable 2016 calendar with monthly security awareness topics and 12 blog posts on the monthly topics with ready-made content for your campus communication channels. 

Texas A&M University tries to create cybersecurity awareness campaigns that engage students in security education. For six years, they have created awareness campaigns featuring online cybersecurity games that entice more than 10,000 campus members to participate and that number continues to grow each year. Learn more about their planning process by reading their May 2017 guest blog: Bridging the Gap Between Students and Security: 7 Steps to Creating a Successful Cybersecurity Campaign. 

Indiana University offers a NCSAM Sample Kit with creative materials based on a 1950's horror theme, and outlines plans for their use that you can adapt to your institution's needs quickly. You can pick and choose which materials will best help you to increase your community's security awareness. Some of the materials are even provided in Spanish. These materials were created and used at Indiana University for National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2005. Indiana University grants permission for non-profit educational use, as long as the credit line and the copyright statement remain on the materials.

The winning posters and videos from previous Information Security Awareness Video & Poster Contests are available for use in campus security awareness campaigns during student orientation, National Cyber Security Awareness Month, Data Privacy Day, and throughout the year.

(info) Note: Videos are also available to view on the HEISC YouTube Channel. Posters can be found on the HEISC Facebook page or Pinterest page.

If your group or institution would be interested in a presentation from an information security or privacy expert, please see our Speakers Bureau. You could also use your LinkedIn connections to invite a local, regional, or national speaker to a campus event.

Note: Data Privacy Day occurs each year on January 28. Think about how you might use NCSAM resources to promote this international celebration on your campus, too.

Resources

State and Regional Efforts

International Efforts

(question) Questions or comments? (info) Contact us.

(warning) Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

  • No labels