New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a proclamation designating October as Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This is the 20th anniversary of the event, which is part of an effort to engage and educate the public about cybersecurity and provide tools and other resources to help New Yorkers operate safely online. The proclamation follows Hochul’s announcement of a comprehensive statewide cybersecurity strategy. The strategy outlines an approach to protect digital assets through engaging public and private stakeholders and upholding the privacy and safety of New York’s residents.
“For 20 years, New York State’s proclamation of Cybersecurity Awareness Month has helped raise awareness of digital security and educate New Yorkers about the steps they need to take to protect themselves online,” Hochul said. “Through this designation, we are shining a bright light on the need for our citizens and businesses to be vigilant in the face of cyber threats that have become more numerous and more sophisticated. By establishing our state’s first-ever, comprehensive statewide cybersecurity strategy, my administration remains committed to creating a formidable statewide defense against cyber threats and protecting the critical services that our residents, businesses and local governments rely on every day.”
Cybersecurity Awareness Month this year will focus on four key behaviors:
- Enabling multi-factor authentication;
- Using strong passphrases;
- Updating software; and,
- Recognizing and reporting phishing.
The proclamation states, “Whereas, New York State is dedicated to protecting the safety of its residents, businesses, visitors, and public and private institutions from cybersecurity threats that may impact our security, privacy, economy and way of life; and whereas, the critical infrastructure of New York State and the United States encompasses where our residents live and work, and resources that impact the economy, public health, transportation, and education, and is increasingly reliant on secure information systems and technology; and whereas, cybersecurity awareness and education helps to ensure that all members of society, ranging from elementary and college students, to government agencies, to small and large businesses, can safely benefit from digital interconnectivity; and whereas, New York State has committed $600 million in support of the first-ever statewide cybersecurity strategy, which provides a resilient cyber defense of critical infrastructure, networks, data, and technology systems as defined by the three central principals of Unification, Resilience and Preparedness; and whereas, the New York State Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) enhances and protects the state’s cybersecurity ecosystem, leveraging a skilled workforce, as well as innovative and modern technology solutions, to monitor and respond to changes in the cyber landscape and protect critical infrastructure; and whereas, the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) operates the Cyber Incident Response Team, which monitors and responds to cyber incidents, in addition to providing cybersecurity risk assessments, identifying areas of potential vulnerability, and offering classes for training; and whereas, individuals, businesses, and organizations can protect themselves from financial loss and data theft from phishing, viruses, ransomware, and other types of malicious software by using enhanced security measures, including enabling multi-factor authentication, creating unique and robust passwords, and updating software as well as remaining responsible and careful when using the internet; and Whereas everyone is encouraged to utilize the New York State resources made available through ITS and DHSES, along with those provided by the federal government, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers, the National Cybersecurity Alliance, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, to become better informed and educated about online safety and security; and whereas, New Yorkers are urged to review the security and privacy settings of online accounts and remain vigilant and intentional about their online presence, thereby allowing them to access them online resources with confidence, ensure their personal privacy and information, and do their part to help protect the state and national security; now therefore, I, Kathy Hochul, governor of the State of New York, do hereby proclaim October 2023 as Cybersecurity Awareness Month in the Empire State.”
The announcement of the proclamation notes that cybersecurity can be challenging for smaller businesses that may not have dedicated staff or resources. The New York State Department of Financial Services worked with the Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) to provide a free cybersecurity toolkit to small businesses so they can protect themselves and their customers from growing cyber threats. The cybersecurity toolkit includes information on identifying hardware and software, updating defenses against cyber threats, strengthening passphrases, enabling multi-factor authentication, backing up and recovering data and protecting email systems. The free cybersecurity toolkit for small businesses and the DFS-developed sample cybersecurity policies can be found on the DFS website.
The New York State Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) is also coordinating a statewide cybersecurity poster contest for children in kindergarten through 12th grade, a timely opportunity for teachers to focus on keeping children safe online in a fun and informative way. Submissions are due Dec. 15. New York State winners will be featured on the ITS website and entered into the national contest sponsored by the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC). Additionally, the agency provides free resources to the public, including the Cybersecurity Awareness Toolkit, which includes cybersecurity-themed posters, calendars, brochures and other content that can be downloaded and shared to help promote and reinforce cyber safety themes in practical, informative, and entertaining ways.