October: National Cyber Security Awareness Month

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month!

This October marks the 13th annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month! 

National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) is designed to engage and educate public and private sector partners through events and initiatives to raise awareness about cyber security, provide them with tools and resources needed to stay safe online, and increase the resiliency of the Nation in the event of a cyber incident.

Weekly Themes

NCSAM 2016 will focus on a different cybersecurity issue for each week in October. 

• Week 1: Oct. 3-7: STOP. THINK. CONNECT.: The Basic Steps to Online Safety and Security
• Week 2: Oct. 10-14: From the Break Room to the Boardroom: Creating a Culture of Cybersecurity in the Workplace
• Week 3: Oct. 17-21: Recognizing and Combating Cybercrime
• Week 4: Oct. 24-28: Our Continuously Connected Lives: What’s Your “Apptitude”?
• Week 5: Oct. 31: Building Resilience in Critical Systems

REMEMBER: All of us have a role in securing our part of cyberspace, including the devices and networks we use. Use this month's focus on cyber security to jump-start your efforts at keeping our cyberspace safe and secure all year long.

Visit these cyber resources for comprehensive guidance on maintaining your personal and business cyber security:

• StaySafeOnline.Org
   - staysafeonline.org/ncsam/resources/
• StopThinkConnect.Org
• United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team
• DHS: National Cyber Security Awareness Month Site
• National Cyber Security Awareness Month article by www.business2community.com

Image credit: http://staysafeonline.org/ 

Emergency Tips: Catching up with Do1Thing.com's Prep Tasks

Being prepared for disasters and emergencies can seem like a big job. Many people don't know where to start, so they never start at all. With Do 1 Thing you can take small steps that make a big difference in an emergency.

Unfortunately, I've been so focused on my Air National Guard responsibilities over the summer that I've neglected this blog. This post will catch us up on all the outstanding monthly tips from Do1Thing.Com. I promise to post much more frequently going forward!

Here are the recent monthly Do1Thing.Com topic pages that I recommend you review:

• July: Family Communication Plan
   - Make sure you have multiple ways to communicate with your family and friends. Let your family know your plans for staying in touch during an event. See my previous post on this topic.
• August: Get Involved
   - Connect with your neighbors and look to volunteer in your community.
• September: Be Informed
   - Be aware of upcoming emergencies and know how to gather information during an event.
• October: Power
   - How to better prepare for power loss and how to safely deal with power loss when it occurs.

Be sure to visit all the monthly Do 1 Thing topic pages for fact sheets, videos and additional resources on ensuring your family gets the correct emergency information.

Background

Do 1 Thing is a web-based, twelve-month preparedness program that focuses on a different area of emergency preparedness each month. Remember: emergency preparedness doesn’t have to be hard or expensive.

It’s as easy as:

1. Click on this month’s topic
2. Select one of the easy “Tasks”
3. Do that one thing!

So visit http://do1thing.com/ today and get started preparing yourself, your family, and your community right now!

Please see my January 2015 post about the entire Do 1 Thing program for additional information.

Image credit: Do1Thing.Com