Cybersecurity Awareness Month began in October 2004 as a joint initiative by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), and became an annual event. Now that it’s October, you may be wondering what it means to you and your world and where you can find out more.
Below are links to resources from major non-commercial organizations – information, tools and practices that you can use to protect your organization, home and hearth.
Why it matters
The focus of National Cybersecurity Month has evolved from its initial focus around basic digital hygiene, such as updating antivirus software twice a year (similar to changing the batteries in smoke detectors). Over time, it grew into an international movement adopted by governments, schools, and corporations worldwide.
With the mainstreaming of artificial intelligence, both as a tool to automate piracy and other cyberattacks, and as a tool to detect and mitigate them – and now, as agents that run their own attacks and then hide their tracks – National Cybersecurity Month has taken on an even greater level of importance.
Resources and further reading
US Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency
The 2026 theme for National Cybersecurty Month by the US federal Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency is “Securing the Next 250” – a reference to the 250th anniversary of American independence. CISA’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month Toolkit is available here.
CISA recommends four basic steps that everyone should take immediately:
- Avoid and report phishing scams.
- Use strong passwords.
- Use multifactor authentication and a password manager.
- Update software.
CISA also recommends that organizations practice the “3Rs of Cybersecurity:” Reduce, Replace, Recover:
CISA offers a no-cost cyber hygiene services which includes vulnerability scanning and Web application deep-dive scanning.
The Trusted Partner Network (TPN) of the Motion Picture Association
Take advantage of TPN’s Fix It Or Risk It program, which leverages The TPN STAR REPORT, which is built from aggregated, anonymized data from more than a thousand completed TPN assessments across more than 60 countries; to show where the content supply chain is strong, where it is exposed, and which control failures track most closely to real security incidents.
TPN has found that the core problem is an execution gap: the fixes are known, but they’re not consistently put in place, monitored or maintained. Fix It or Risk It exists to help close that gap.
Center for Internet Security (CIS)
CIS a community-driven nonprofit which publishes globally recognized tools and best practices for securing IT systems and data. CIS leads a global community of IT professionals to continuously evolve these standards and provide products and services to proactively safeguard against emerging threats.
CIS is home to the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center® (MS-ISAC®), the trusted resource for cyber threat prevention, protection, response, and recovery for U.S. State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial government entities.
Women in Cybersecurity
Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) has developed a toolkit to share with its community. This toolkit includes free and effective tools that individuals can use to mobilize the community, raise cyber awareness and promote proper cyber hygiene to reduce cyber risk.
WiCyS best-practice recommendations include:
- Using a password manager
- Enable Multi-factor Authentication
- Recognize and report Phishing
- Keep software updated
- Be mindful on public WiFi
- Secure your home network
- Back up important data
- Choose credit over debit cards, for stronger fraud protections
- Restart your devices weekly
Women in CyberSecurity is also conducting Webinars and training sessions, which are listed on the organization’s Web site
National Cybersecurity Alliance
As one of the co-founders of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, NCA reminds us that there are simple, effective ways to keep themselves safe online, protect their personal data, and ultimately help secure our world.
NCA’s Cybersecurity Toolkit is free, after registering via the program’s Web landing page.
