DIR Announces October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month

“While cybersecurity is always important, we recognize October as the month to focus on reminding everyone about practices to ensure they stay safe online,” said Nancy Rainosek, chief information security officer for the State of Texas. “We all have the power to prevent security incidents and better protect ourselves and our organizations by implementing strong security practices and following good cyber hygiene.” 

Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a national event which started in 2003.  It is sponsored by the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA). This year’s theme is “Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart.” Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a proclamation formally recognizing October as cybersecurity awareness month in Texas.  

DIR will be hosting weekly webinars and partnering with other agencies on cybersecurity awareness events including:  

• October 5: Let’s Crack Passwords hosted by Women In Cybersecurity (WiCys). 

• October 6: Cyber Agility: Cyber Habits and Muscle Memory hosted by the Texas Health and Human Service Commission (HHSC). 

• October 12: Cloud Security Architecture hosted by WiCys. 

• October 13: Imposter Syndrome, Perspectives from Black Women in Tech hosted by WiCys. 

• October 19: Creating a security program and end user training presentation by the Texas Information Sharing and Analysis Organization (ISAO). 

• October 20: The Cyber Maze: Hack the Hacker hosted by HHSC. 

• October 26: Cyber Crawl: The Changing Cyber Landscape hosted by HHSC. 

• October 27: The First Rule of Security Awareness… Talk About Security Awareness! Hosted by DIR & Gartner security webinar. 

• October 29: Cyber Fire Fight: Internet of Things (IoTs) hosted by HHSC. 

Students can also participate in several competitions including:  

• The fourth annual Cybersecurity Awareness Public Service Announcement (PSA) competition open to all Texas high school students grades 9th through 12th. Videos can be submitted until Friday, October 22, 2021, at 11:59pm CST.  #2021TXPSA 

• The inaugural Cyber Threat Defender (CTD) Card Design Contest for Cybersecurity Month hosted by the University of Texas at San Antonio’s Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security. The winning card will be added to a future booster pack. Submissions are open between October 1 through October 25, 2021.   

• MS-ISAC 2020-2021 Kids Safe Online Poster Contest where students can submit art pieces on topics such as being safe online, good online security practices, cyber bullying, and how to be a good digital citizen. The contest began September 25, 2021 and ends January 22, 2022. The winners of the contest will be recognized nationally in acknowledgment of National October Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM). Access the rules and contest submission form here: https://www.cisecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/MS-ISAC-Poster-Co….  

For more information about Cybersecurity Awareness Month and events, visit: https://dir.texas.gov/information-security/cybersecurity-awareness-month