NCSA Participates in Official U.S. Launch of 8th Annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month Event in Michigan

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), a non-profit public private partnership focused on cyber security awareness and education for all digital citizens, today participated in an event in Michigan to mark the official launch of the 8th annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month, which takes place each October.  

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The official launch event for National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) takes place in Ypsilanti, Michigan today with U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, Representatives Mike Rogers, John Dingell Hansen Clarke, White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard Schmidt, Microsoft Director of Trustworthy Computing Jacqueline Beauchere and a wide variety of public, private and non-governmental organizations.  Now in its eighth year, National Cyber Security Awareness Month is a coordinated effort of the NCSA, DHS, and The Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MSISAC) and companies, schools, and nonprofit organizations around the country focused on online safety and security awareness and education for U.S. citizens and businesses, devoting the full month of October to public awareness and education.  The Michigan launch event will also be broadcast live online via Facebook Live https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=234019649980638.  The White House also announced this week that President Obama has issued an official proclamation designating October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month.  For more information: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/10/03/presidential-proclamation-national-cybersecurity-awareness-month.

NCSA also announced today that a new nationwide public service announcement campaign will begin this month that will reach millions of Americans. The campaign will include messages to help Americans to learn about the importance of online safety through the STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™ campaign, the national cybersecurity awareness campaign aimed to help all digital citizens stay safer. The campaign was developed by the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. Messaging Convention, a public-private partnership established in 2009 and led by The Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) and National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), that includes a large coalition of private companies, non-profits and government organizations.

The development of the public service announcements and their dissemination build on the collaborative efforts of the partnership that established the campaign. The PSA's were funded by Microsoft Corporation and are designed to be engaging, positive and action oriented. The initial public roll-out of the PSA's will be through two other companies involved in the creation of STOP. THINK. CONNECT. Verizon FiOS1 network, which reaches millions of FiOS TV viewers with news and sports programming in a number of large metropolitan markets on the East Coast, and a channel on AT&T's U-verse TV service.  Microsoft, AT&T and Verizon are all founder member companies of the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. Messaging Convention.  More information can be found at www.stopthinkconnect.org.

AT&T is supporting the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. campaign with customer education initiatives which include awareness messages (both English and Spanish) in consumer billing statements throughout October and November, PSAs on the AT&T U-verse platform, and promotion across social media channels.  AT&T is also engaging employees to help spread the word with trainings on the C-SAVE program, enabling employee volunteers across the country to teach children and adults important online safety practices.  To help state and local government customers better secure citizen and government data, AT&T sponsored the development of a cyber security guidebook available at www.Public-CIO.com/security.

"Microsoft is honored to take part in the official launch of National Cyber Security Awareness Month," said Jacqueline Beauchere, Director, Trustworthy Computing, Microsoft Corporation and National Cyber Security Alliance Board Member. "Greater awareness of cyber security and online safety is a shared responsibility for all of us this October and every day of the year.  This is why we are so committed to raising awareness through the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. campaign and participating in ongoing efforts to educate all  Americans about how they can make the Internet safer for themselves and more secure for everyone."  

"Cyber security is a 24-hour-a-day, 365-days-a-year responsibility for consumers, businesses and anyone who uses the World Wide Web," said Marcus Sachs, Verizon's Vice President of National Security Policy and an NCSA board member.  "That's what makes the efforts of this campaign so important.  Verizon takes the online security of its customers and network partners very seriously and is committed to getting out the messages of cyber safety each and every day of the year."

"Cybersecurity education is critical to protecting ourselves and our digital assets," said Chris Boyer, Assistant Vice President of Public Policy at AT&T.  "We take our part of the shared responsibility seriously and we're proud of the work we do to keep our customers safe online.  Cybersecurity is an issue that goes beyond one month, but October provides a good opportunity to focus public attention on the issue and make sure all parties who share in that responsibility understand the necessity of safe and secure cyber practices."

Americans want to know more and agree that online safety and security is an important issue. According to a new survey sponsored by NCSA and McAfee and conducted by Zogby International that will be released later this month, eight in ten Americans (81%) want to learn more about being safe and secure online.  At the same time, more than nine in ten Americans (92%) agree that a safe and secure Internet is crucial to our nation's economic security.

"Americans are running into more cyber threats than ever as our digital usage becomes more diverse and widespread as consumers connect not only with PCs, but with tablets and smartphones," said Todd Gebhart, co-President of McAfee. "This data reveals that Americans are receptive to learning more about important online safety and security information and the steps we should all take to better protect ourselves."

"As our lives and economy have become more reliant on a secure Internet, each of us shares the responsibility to do everything we can to be sure we are taking the steps to safer and more secure online," said Michael Kaiser, Executive Director, National Cyber Security Alliance.  "People can be more confident online by using STOP. THINK. CONNECT. to navigate the Internet. The deep array of participation – from industry, government and nonprofit organizations – in National Cyber Security Awareness Month speaks volumes about how people value the Internet in our everyday life and their commitment to making the Internet more safe and secure in October and all year round."

The month-long calendar features a diverse array of NCSA sponsored flagship events as well as other events throughout the nation promoting online safety and security.  Many companies, organizations, libraries, universities and others throughout the nation have major activities and offerings planned for October. A full calendar of National Cyber Security Awareness Month events can be found at www.staysafeonline.org/ncsam.  Listed below are just a few of the NCSA partner-sponsored events and offerings planned for October, such as the following:

• EMC Corporation employees are volunteering their time to teach thousands of children in the U.S. and 16 other nations in the K-12 age group about safe and responsible internet use with the C-SAVE online safety awareness program. EMC is also partnering with Radio Disney to promote cyber security awareness and digital responsibility based on C-SAVE in October and November.
• McAfee will feature new content on the McAfee® Cybersafety Resource Portal, an online help center designed to assist victims of computer crime and provide information on how to avoid becoming a victim.
• Members of the Executive Women's Forum (http://www.ewf-usa.com/) are volunteering their time to teach online safety and security to students.  They will be presenting materials from the C-SAVE program to over 700 children at the Copper Ridge elementary school in Scottsdale, AZ as a part of the EWF Cyber Security School Challenge initiative. The EWF Cyber Security School Challenge winner will be announced during the EWF National Conference on October 20th.
• Verizon will incorporate NCSA security messaging into its ongoing "Security Leadership" campaign, which in October will provide consumers and businesses with a steady stream of tips and guidance on how to avoid becoming a victim of cyber crime. The campaign will feature special reports, consumer advisories and expert commentary, all featured on Verizon's various social media channels during the month. To reinforce the security messaging, Verizon also will undertake a global employee communications effort focused on highlighting Cyber Security Awareness.
• Lockheed Martin will Host its 2nd Annual Cyber Security Awareness Day with the Tech Council of Maryland on October 18. This STEM event will teach students about staying safe online while also providing a forum for career exploration and education. Government agencies and Maryland universities and colleges will be collaborating on October 18.
• The Maryland Cyber Challenge and Conference a collaborative effort between industry, academia, government and nonprofits will be holding the first ever Maryland cyber competition for high school, collegiate and professional teams. Over 300 challengers across the state are participating this year. The competition will conclude at a two-day conference in Baltimore on October 21-22 where contestants and Maryland's best minds on cybersecurity will convene to salute winners and discuss the issues and trends in cybersecurity. For more information: www.mdc3.org
• San Diego's Securing Our eCity®(SOeC) initiative will hold activities and projects the local YMCA, YWCA, Girl Scouts, San Diego County Office of Education and San Diego Unified Schools with messages and training on how to stay safer in cyber space. Representatives from the SOeC speakers' bureau will present at events like the SmartGrid Summit, California Court Reporters' Association and other events around town. A K-12 cybersecurity poster contest is underway with winners to be announced at the Securing Our eCity Cybersecurity Symposium & Awards event on October 25th (securingourecity.org/2011oct-reg).

"Lockheed Martin believes that delivering cyber security is a team sport. With cyber security at the core of everything we do, we are proud to be working side-by-side with TechAmerica and the National Cyber Security Alliance to kick-off National Cyber Security Awareness Month," said Charles Croom, Vice President of Cyber Security Solutions.

NCSA encourages all audiences – teachers, employers, families, consumers, and more – to routinely visit the National Cyber Security Awareness Month Web portal for an abundance of information about how to get involved, events, and additional resources to help organizations and individuals participate in the public awareness and education campaign. The Web portal is available at: www.staysafeonline.org.

NCSA also released the first in series of posters that can be used by anyone to join the effort to educate those around them. The posters, all themed with STOP. THINK. CONNECT., can be found at http://www.staysafeonline.org/tools-resources/stop-think-connect.

About The National Cyber Security Alliance

The National Cyber Security Alliance is a non-profit organization. Through collaboration with the government, corporate, non-profit and academic sectors, the mission of the NCSA is to empower a digital citizenry to use the Internet securely and safely protecting themselves and the technology they use and the digital assets we all share. NCSA works to create a culture of cyber security and safety through education and awareness activities. NCSA board members include: ADP, AT&T, Bank of America, Cisco Systems, EMC Corporation, ESET, Facebook, General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, Google, Intel, Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Services, McAfee, Microsoft, PayPal, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Symantec, Verizon and Visa. Visit www.staysafeonline.org for more information.

About National Cyber Security Awareness Month

National Cyber Security Awareness month now in its eighth year is a coordinated effort of the National Cyber Security Alliance, The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and The Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MSISAC).

About STOP. THINK. CONNECT.

The campaign was developed by the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. Messaging Convention, a public-private partnership established in 2009 and led by The Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) and National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) to develop and support a national cybersecurity awareness campaign.  In October 2010 the White House, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Messaging Convention launched the campaign. The Department of Homeland Security provides the Federal Government's leadership for the campaign.

Industry, government, non-profits and education institutions participate in STOP. THINK. CONNECT. Learn how to get involved at www.stopthinkconnect.org.

SOURCE National Cyber Security Alliance