October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month

For 20 years now, the President of the United States and Congress have designated October as Cybersecurity Awareness month. There are multiple ways to participate. By doing so, you become part of a global movement. The new theme for this year and the years to come is: "Secure Our World.”  

To quote the Global Cybersecurity Network, it’s “not just about personal growth or institutional benefit but collective action toward a safer digital future.” Anything you can do to promote cybersecurity skills among friends, colleagues, and students contributes toward this global initiative. 

Participants are encouraged to spread awareness in creative ways. Your efforts might be something that you publicize online, or it could be small and private, such as hosting a workshop or training. The point is to raise awareness so we can better protect digital assets from theft and cyber abuse. 

This article presents some ways that community and technical colleges can get involved. Some of these ideas have an added benefit: Students can gain hands-on experience to put on a resume. 

1) Subscribe to a Cybersecurity Podcast 

Challenge everyone in your cybersecurity classes to subscribe to a podcast by the end of October.  They'll come to class each week buzzing about the latest in cybersecurity.

Promote the benefits of this audio-learning modicum: 

• Learn while listening (and doing other things like exercising or housework)
• Hear the latest in cyber news on breeches, vulnerabilities, and hacker groups
• Learn about the latest products and tools in cybersecurity
• Be entertained while learning

Shop for a podcast at one of these websites: 

https://globalcybersecuritynetwork.com/resources/podcasts/ 

https://www.sans.org/blog/cybersecurity-podcast-roundup/ 

https://nordvpn.com/blog/cybersecurity-podcasts/ 

2) Conduct a Cybersecurity Awareness Training in the K-12 Space 

Educators, have you considered a project where college students conduct cybersecurity awareness training in a K-12 environment? Consider using the material for young learners from KnowBe4. 

Last year, they launched a new cybersecurity awareness Student Edition for teens. This year, they’ve launched the Children’s Interactive Cybersecurity Activity Kit designed for an even younger audience. It is available in Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) format, which can be imported to most LMS platforms. It is also freely available for download by parents and educators. 

Content includes: 

• AI Awareness for Students
• Bye Bye Bully
• Captain Awareness: Conquer Internet Safety for Kids
• Password Zapper Game
• Spot the Phish - Kid's Edition

 Also see the Knowbe4 Roblox game “Hack-a-Cat". Designed to educate kids in cybersecurity and social engineering threats, helping them become knowledgeable, savvy adults living in a digital world. 

3) Video Surveillance in Libraries – Inquire and Inform 

Does your local public library have a written (and updated) policy about video surveillance? 

There is a delicate balance between public security and public privacy. While security cameras can be used to protect patrons’ physical safety in library spaces, this must be balanced against laws protecting private usage of library assets. Has your local library examined both ends of this spectrum and arrived at a policy that complies with the law? 

Why not make it a class project to check your local library’s privacy policies surrounding security cameras and their rules about any filming that a patron might do while visiting the library? Policies must be clear to the public and regularly updated. 

Could your class examine local and state laws, create a training session for library employees, and help craft a written policy that the library can present to their legal advisors for approval? 

See ALA.org (American Library Association) for guidelines. 

4) Cybersecurity Across Disciplines 

Ask one of the deans or teachers in other college programs if your cybersecurity students can present a brief training.  

For example,  

• To the Allied Health students, you could present on the topic of HIPPA or the security of IoT medical devices.
• To the students in Criminal Justice, you could present on the topic of becoming a cybercrime investigator.
• At your local technical college teaching automotive courses, you could present on the topic of cybersecurity in the auto industry.

5) Offer Awareness Training at a Senior Center or Library 

Ask a local library or senior center if your students can conduct a cybersecurity training for their patrons. Many of these institutions will be delighted and will help with advertising. 

Consider using the tips found at CISA’s webpage for cybersecurity awareness month. The categories are: 

• Recognize and Report Phishing
• Use Strong Passwords
• Turn on MFA
• Update Software

6) Read the Book: This is How They Tell Me the World Ends 

Author Nicole Perlroth, a cybersecurity journalist for the New York Times, wrote this chilling exposé about the zero-day marketplace. It’s a strange and secret world where hackers, criminals, government specialists, and foreign enemy states compete for digital weaponry. The price tag of each exploit (or weapon) is based on how much damage it could do. Hackers who are deficient in ethics, or living in bleak economies, are willing to sell exploits to the highest bidders – no matter what they intend to do with it. 

From her years on the cybersecurity beat, Nicole learned the inside scoop. Her book tells you why our world is less secure than you think. This is How They Tell Me the World Ends is for sale in hard copy and audio. Public libraries offer digital and physical checkouts. 

Why not challenge your colleagues or friend group to read this book? Plan a book club meeting at the end of October – the scariest time of year – and discuss the many ways that evildoers might steal (and possess) your identity.