National Cybersecurity Awareness Month

  • Published
  • By Air Force OSI Public Affairs
  • Air Force OSI Public Affairs
QUANTICO, Va. --  Recognizing the importance of cybersecurity awareness, the President of the United States and senior government officials have designated October as "National Cybersecurity Awareness Month."

Now in its 12th year and led by the Department of Homeland Security, the awareness month is designed to engage and educate interagency personnel and external audiences.

Additionally, the Air Force seeks increased Total Force cybersecurity awareness and understanding of the important role cybersecurity plays in protecting our mission and personnel.

Every time we connect to the Internet - at home, at school, at work or on our mobile devices - we make decisions that affect our cybersecurity. From what information we choose to share to what links we choose to click, our activities can either enable or prevent cyber attacks and intrusions.

We're doing more online than ever--we shop, bank, connect with loved ones and even manage our medical records. We're sharing increasingly more sensitive information that is highly sought after by cyber criminals. Though many security and resilience risks are not new, the scale of interconnectedness and amount of information we share continues to increase. It's critical that we secure our internet to protect this sensitive information.

Cyber threats are constantly evolving, which means everyone must remain diligent and aware of the consequences of their online activities. Emerging cyber threats require engagement from the entire American community to create a safer cyber environment--from government to law enforcement to the private sector, and most importantly, the general public.

Virtually every mission across the range of military operations depends on cybersecurity and every Airman is tasked to defend and protect the domain. The Air Force faces rapidly evolving and increasingly advanced cyber threats from state and non-state actors, making cybersecurity vigilance critical to successful operations.

Cyber threats are evolving: 1) Increased sophistication, 2) Focus on embedded/isolated systems, 3) More destructive attacks -- every Airman plays an important role in safeguarding this domain as it advances the Department of Defense and our nation.

Every Airman can help improve the service's cyber resilience through following simple steps to keep themselves, their identities, and their information safe online: Set strong passwords, and don't share them; ensure work and personal operating systems, browsers and other critical software are optimized through regular updates; maintain dialogue with family, friends and communities about internet safety; limit the amount of personal information shared online and use privacy settings; and be cautious about what you receive or read online and the potential for phishing and identity theft campaigns -- cyber security is everyone 's responsibility.