October is Cybersecurity
Awareness Month!
April is Cyberawareness Month!

Setting your clocks forward or back for Daylight Saving Time and replacing the batteries in smoke detectors are rituals repeated every spring and fall. Similarly, April and October are good times to remind ourselves about Cyberawareness issues. April is Cyber Awareness Month! is a great time to help educators, students and parents learn more about Cyberawareness issues.October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month! is a collective effort among the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, the National Cyber Security Division and the National Cyber Security Alliance to raise cyber security awareness nationwide and empower citizens, businesses, government and schools to improve their cyber security preparedness and help promote a safe Internet experience.

With the onslaught of new online threats such as identity theft and spyware, engaging in safe online behavior is crucial. We use computers in virtually every aspects of our lives and we must understand the risks, along with the steps we can take to help protect ourselves and our information online.

While colleges, universities, organizations and businesses across the country plan security education and awareness events to help promote Cyber Security Awareness, Educational Technology Outreach continues to plan a month’s worth of activities twice a year (April and October) to help promote the K-20 community’s awareness of cyber related issues and encourage safe online practices. Both an interactive calendar and a printable version are available. You can also print out Student Recognition forms for your class.

Visit the NCSA interactive calendar to see other events taking place. Also visit our Cyberawareness Blog or take part in our educator Cyberawareness survey.

This calendar format lists Cyber-awareness activities and resources that can help educators and their students celebrate Cyber-awareness Month in April and Cyber Security Awareness Month in October. ETO would like to hear about the great things you do during April and October to promote Cyber-awareness. Schools’ participation may be showcased at the ETO website and the C3 Conference.

READ MORE to learn more about the History of Cyber Awareness and Cyber Security Awareness Initiatives [More]

Past & Future Calendars

October 2008 October 2007 April 2007
October 2006 April 2006 October 2005
April 2005 October 2004 April 2004

Department of Homeland Security and NCSA’s 2006 Emerging Internet Threat List:
Helping Consumers Prepare to Avoid Potential Threats

Released February 15, 2006

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

cyberawarenessOctober is Cybersecurity Awareness Month!

Click on a Day for Activity Detail

Printable Versions - [Word ... PDF]

Completion Certificate for your Students [PDF... Black & White PDF]

Help Keep Kids Connected and Protected – Security and Safety Procedures Kids Can Use While On Social Networking Sites

1. Learn how social networking sites work and 6 "commonsense" tips

View the Kiefer Sutherland PSA (transcript available)

2. Need a safe chatroom or social-networking site? Try iSAFE’s X-BLOCK, the place for students to hang out, learn about cyber safety and share their online experiences with others.

3. Visit NetSmartz interactive games and activities to learn more about cybersafety

4. Participate in the BlogSafety Forum, where parents, teens, educators, and experts discuss and learn about safe blogging and social networking. 5. Read some internet safety statistics from Enough is Enough

6 Looking for a few good websites? Check out these websites submitted by teens as great for education and fun. Also – submit your own!

Try the online interactive safety game

7. Learn how to become an i-Mentor

Teach Kids How to Secure Their Computers

8. How smart are you about internet security? Take this quiz to find out(good for all ages including parents)

9. Why learn about cyber security? Companies and hackers (people who try to break into your computer) use kids to break into home computers. Here’s an article that says how and why they do it. Learn more about spyware

10. Learn all about computer crime and it's consequences.

Including real cases involving teens

11. Are you safe online? Take this quiz on cyber safety and see how secure you really are.

12.View some of the EDUCAUSE/Internet2 Computer and Network Security Task Force and the National Cyber Security Alliance winners of a computer security awareness video contest, which was held as part of a national campaign to raise awareness of and increase computer security at colleges and universities Think about creating your own

13. Learn the National Cyber Security Alliance's Top Eight Cyber Security Practices are practical steps you can take to stay safe online and avoid becoming a victim of fraud, identity theft, or cyber crime.

14. Take the How safe are you quiz from the StaySafeOnline.org

Who Should You Trust On the Internet?

15. E-mail can be a fun and easy way to talk and share stuff with your friends. It can also be used to send viruses, hoaxes (tricks to get your personal information or money), gross pictures, and other bad stuff. Explore this site to learn how to protect yourself and your computer!

16. Do you know who you are talking to? Check out this site and find out if who you are IM’ing is really who they say they are.

17. Learn some important things about surfing, privacy and your personal information from the Federal Trade Commission More

18. Learn the Twelve Tips to Protect Yourself From Cyber Grinches, Scams and Schemes

19. Learn more about who you are dealing with online

20. Test Your Knowledge about Identity Theft — New OnGuard Online Quiz

Learn more about Internet fraud , securing your computer and protecting your information from the federal trade Commission: view/play the interactive phishing and spamming games

21. Thinking of bidding in an online auction or selling something online?

What You Do Online Makes a Difference

22. Take George Mason University’s IT Security Quiz

23. View Carnegie Melon’s "Think Before you Click" Never open unexpected email attachments. If in doubt, verify authenticity using the KRESV tests, by phone, or a new email to the sender. Learn more about Computer Safety & Security

24. Take the MailFrontier Phishing IQ test 25. Don’t think Internet crimes could ever happen to you? Read these startling stories of true Internet crimes from wiredsafety.org.

26. Read more about what cyberbullying or netbullying is.

Have you ever been Cyberbullied? Find out today by taking this QUIZ.

27. Create a strong password. View George Mason University’s humorous video on creating strong passwords 28. MySecureCyberspace: The Game (for children and the young at heart)
29.Take the University of Colorado Copyright Self Quiz 30. Who Done IT? (Solve this cybercrime murder mystery) 31. Enjoy the Business Software Alliance’s CyberTree House games and activities

October 2006 Calendar created by Summer 2006 EDUC 698T course (Cyberethics, Cybersafety and Cybersecurity in the Classroom Setting) members Kim Reddy, Ron Charnis, & Kathleen Marasco

 

Additional resources can be found at: ETO's C3 Cybersecurity Portal

 
 
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