Cybersecurity Awareness Month – A Quick Guide to CAM 2024
Each October since 2004 has been dedicated to raising awareness about cybersecurity and the best ways to stay safe online. Aimed at everyone from businesses to individuals, and including people who already work in cybersecurity, each Cybersecurity Awareness Month (CAM) aims to increase knowledge and reduce cybercrime across the world.
The 21st CAM is October 2024 so here’s a quick guide to the history, the themes for 2024, and some ideas on how you, as an individual, or business, can take part.
What is Cybersecurity Awareness Month?
CAM is a month-long, annual initiative that aims to generate more visibility on cybersecurity and the topics around it. Cybersecurity affects everyone who uses the internet and technology, as well as those who don’t, but it is easily ignored until something goes wrong. Preventing crime and reducing risk are the key drivers behind this important annual event.
What is the History of Cybersecurity Awareness Month?
In 2004 President George W. Bush and the US government chose October to be dedicated to raising awareness about cybersecurity by both the public and private sectors. Although it started in the USA, Cybersecurity Awareness Month has become a globally recognised initiative that everyone can take part in.
For the first few CAMs there was no main theme, just an emphasis on good cybersecurity practice and discussions around the latest innovations and risks. From 2009, a broad theme of ‘shared responsibility’ was introduced to highlight the importance of governments, businesses, and individuals working together.
Over the last decade there have been themes dedicated to encryption, personal accountability, software design, and human behaviour. In 2023 the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) chose ‘Secure Our World’ to be the theme from then on.
2024 Cybersecurity Awareness Month Theme – Secure Our World
Secure Our World as a theme for CAM is for recognising “the importance of taking daily action to reduce risks when online and connected to devices”. It outlines four key areas to increase online safety, turning each one into a simple step that everyone can take:
- Recognising and reporting phishing
- Using strong passwords
- Turning on multi-factor authentication
- Keeping software up-to-date
To help raise awareness CISA has free CAM toolkits and resources for schools, businesses, and individuals to access for free all year round. Their social media kit includes light-hearted references to very important topics such as “Stop clicking remind me later!” and “If it looks phishy, it probably is”, referring to software updates and phishing scams respectively.
If you are one of the thousands of organisations and individuals aiming to take part in CAM 2024, you can choose your own direction or take ideas from the topics and resources available by CISA.
Ideas for taking part in Cybersecurity Awareness Month
CAM has been designed to be relevant to people from across the world, as almost everyone can become a target of cybercrime. From businesses to schools, the messages will be similar, but everyone’s audiences will differ, so whether you’re educating employees or students, here are some ideas for getting your message across.
Host a cybersecurity webinar – Invite experts to speak on topics like phishing, password management, and authentication.
Create a cybersecurity quiz – Design an interactive quiz to test knowledge on phishing scams, password strength, and other best practices.
Phishing simulation campaign – Run a simulated phishing attack to see how employees or students react, followed by training on how to avoid real scams.
Strong password competition – Hold a contest where participants create the most secure password, emphasising best practices.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) enrolment day – Organise a day where employees or students are guided through setting up MFA on their accounts.
Password manager introduction workshop – Introduce a session on the benefits and use of password managers to securely store and manage passwords.
Weekly cyber tips newsletter – Send out a weekly newsletter with cybersecurity tips, such as recognising phishing attempts and setting strong passwords.
Cybersecurity awareness posters – Design and display posters around the office or school that explain phishing, password hygiene, and the importance of MFA.
Cybersecurity escape room – Set up a virtual or physical escape room with cybersecurity puzzles focused on phishing and password cracking.
Social media cybersecurity challenge – Create a social media challenge where participants post their best tips for staying safe online.
Anti-phishing workshop for seniors – Partner with a community group or charity to offer a phishing awareness session targeted toward older adults.
Cybersecurity-themed podcast or interview series – Launch a podcast featuring experts talking about phishing, passwords, MFA, and the importance of updates.
Classroom cybersecurity awareness day – Have students watch educational cybersecurity videos and discuss ways to stay safe online.
Password check-up booth – Set up a booth where participants can get advice on creating strong passwords and using password managers.
Cybersecurity infographics – Create and distribute infographics explaining the dangers of weak passwords and unpatched software.
Cybersecurity debate or panel – Organise a debate or panel discussion with experts about the best ways to secure online accounts.
Cybersecurity family game night – Organise a fun family game night with board games or online games focused on cybersecurity themes. Use this as an opportunity to discuss online safety, strong passwords, and avoiding phishing scams in a relaxed setting.
Cybersecurity awareness social media campaign – Post regular cybersecurity tips and tricks on social media, with a focus on phishing and password security.
Software update day – Encourage participants to update all their software and devices, explaining the importance of keeping software up to date.
Digital hygiene week – Organise a week-long campaign focusing on different aspects of cybersecurity each day, such as phishing, passwords, MFA, and software updates.
Cybersecurity-themed game or hackathon – Create a game or competition where participants solve cybersecurity-related challenges.
Charity cybersecurity fundraiser – Organise a charity event to raise awareness and funds for cybersecurity education initiatives.
Cybersecurity lunch and learn – Host a lunchtime session where employees or students learn about cybersecurity best practices in a casual environment.
Password strengthening day – Dedicate a day for staff or students to change weak passwords to stronger ones, with support from IT.
Employee cybersecurity training programme – Implement a comprehensive training programme covering phishing, MFA, and the importance of software updates.
Children’s cybersecurity awareness day – Partner with a school to teach children about staying safe online through interactive games and videos.
Create a cybersecurity tips group chat – Start a group chat with family or friends where you share simple cybersecurity tips, like how to spot phishing emails, using multi-factor authentication, or reminders to update software on their devices.
If you’re concerned about cybersecurity in your organisation, we can help. Our cybersecurity services page explains how we improve our client’s cybersecurity posture or contact us for a no-obligation chat.
About the author
Fuse is a Microsoft Partner, based in Northampton. We help organisations of all sizes to maximise IT efficiencies through the use of Microsoft cloud computing solutions.
