Gov. Doug Burgum has proclaimed October 2023 as Cybersecurity Awareness Month in North Dakota to encourage residents and businesses around the state to safeguard their digital environments against sophisticated and widespread threats. The proclamation coincides with National Cybersecurity Awareness Month from The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA).
View the Governor's Proclamation for Cybersecurity Awareness Month October 2023
“Cybersecurity Awareness Month is an important reminder that we all have a role to play in keeping our information safe online," said Kuldip Mohanty, chief information officer, North Dakota Information Technology. "By staying up to date and following simple tips, we can all do our part to protect ourselves and our communities from cyber threats.”
This year's National Cybersecurity Awareness Month theme is Secure Our World, with the main messaging revolving around four key cybersecurity best practices:
- Understanding the benefits of using a password manager and dispelling existing myths around password manager security and ease of use.
- Turning on multifactor authentication on personal devices and business networks.
- Recognizing and reporting phishing – still one of the primary threat actions used by cybercriminals today.
- Installing updates on a regular basis and turning on automated updates.
About National Cybersecurity Awareness Month
National Cybersecurity Awareness Month is designed to engage and educate public and private sector partners through events and initiatives with the goal of raising awareness about cybersecurity to increase the resiliency of the nation in the event of a cyber incident. Since the Presidential proclamation establishing Cybersecurity Awareness Month in 2004, the initiative has been formally recognized by Congress, federal, state, and local governments and leaders from industry and academia. This united effort is necessary to maintain a cyberspace that is safer and more resilient and remains a source of tremendous opportunity and growth for years to come.