DHS kicks off Cybersecurity Awareness Month with bevy of initiatives

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This October marks the beginning of the first Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has prepared several initiatives to raise awareness in combating the growing threat to security and infrastructure.

On Sept. 30, President Joe Biden issued the proclamation on Cybersecurity Awareness Month in the hopes to safeguard critical systems and infrastructure from malicious cyber activity for both national concerns, citizens, and businesses. “Cyberattacks affect our day-to-day lives, our economy, and our national security,” President Biden stated in the proclamation. “By destroying, corrupting, or stealing information from our computer systems and networks, they can impact electric grids and fuel pipelines, hospitals and police departments, businesses and schools, and many other critical services that Americans trust and rely on every day.”

The administration has said that it’s made cybersecurity a top priority, “…at all levels of government”.  

The Department of Homeland Security said that they and their component agencies are committed to investigating malicious cyber activity and enhancing cybersecurity to increase the nation’s resilience to attacks. “We work across our entire Department to strengthen the nation’s cybersecurity.  From the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to the Coast Guard, from the Secret Service to the Transportation Security Administration, the Department of Homeland Security is strengthening our partnerships with the private sector and informing the American people how best to secure their cyber footprint in an increasingly interconnected world,” said DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “We help protect federal civilian departments and agencies, drive best practices, advise critical infrastructure owners and operators, and support schools, non-profit organizations, state and local authorities, election officials, and many others.  We are proud to be a part of the public-private collaborative that is essential for our success.”

DHS has a number of current initiatives in the cybersecurity field designed to facilitate their mission goal. The Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative, Cyber Safety Review Board, and a recent announcement of $1 billion in cybersecurity grants for state and local partners. There’s also the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) “Shields Up” campaign, which launched as a way to warn and provide guidance to critical infrastructures operators about the risk of cyber threats as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year. Moreover, the campaign theme for this month is all about personalizing the threat of cyber attacks to the individual and understanding the risks involved.

“Cybersecurity is not about technology; it’s about people. That’s why this year’s theme is ‘See Yourself in Cyber’ because it takes all of us—from network defenders to anyone with an internet connection—to make this country more cyber resilient,” CISA Director Jen Easterly said. “Throughout the month, CISA will be engaged with partners across the country to focus on promoting cyber hygiene, building a more diverse cyber workforce, and strengthening the technology ecosystem underpinning the critical infrastructure Americans rely on every day. Together, we will collaborate and innovate to make better cybersecurity a reality.”

The Office of Policy is currently leading efforts to coordinate and organize cyber incident reporting through the Cyber Incident Reporting Council. A bipartisan effort established by the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act; the council marries federal departments with independent regulators as it engages with private stakeholders to streamline reporting requirements.

“DHS is driving cybersecurity in this country in new and innovative ways,” said Robert Silvers, Under Secretary for Policy. “From building institutions like the Cyber Safety Review Board and the Cyber Incident Reporting Council, to setting baseline security standards for industry, to strengthening international partnerships, DHS brings government and businesses together to protect our digital infrastructure.”

Interested parties and stakeholders can read more with the DHS’s Cyber Mission Overview factsheet or find guidance and reporting for cyber incidents at www.cisa.gov/shields-up.