Cybersecurity Awareness Month
2023 Office of the Governor's Proclamation on Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Check out DIR's Twitter and LinkedIn profiles for cyber tips and statistics throughout the month
Cybersecurity Awareness Month Activities
Current Youth Competitions:
CyberStart America competition registration opens October 16, 2023 for all high school students in grades 9th-12th. https://www.cyberstartamerica.org/
Governor Abbott continues to support the partnership with CyberStart America and encourages Texas high school students to participate in this free national program to uncover hidden cyber talents, promote cyber safety, and to identify and develop the next generation of cyber superstars among Texas high school students. Check out the CSA Texas Teacher Tips and Student Recruitment for getting started!
Cyber FastTrack (CFT) is the equivalent of CyberStart for college students, aiming to simplify and accelerate their path to a cybersecurity career by helping students develop advanced training and skills needed for the cybersecurity profession. Registration opens October 16, 2023.
To find out more about CyberStart America and Cyber FastTrack, please visit www.cyberstartamerica.org and https://www.cyber-fasttrack.org/.
Texas A&M University Cybersecurity Games
Each year, the Texas A&M Division of Information Technology creates a campus-wide IT security game for National Cyber Security Awareness Month. Each game is designed to be fun and engaging, while educating students, faculty and staff about how to be safe online.
FBI's Safe Online Surfing Internet Challenge to Launch for 2023 - 2024 School Year
Free, educational program for children that teaches cyber safety updated with new graphics, interactive content.
As a new school year begins, the FBI is refreshing its Safe Online Surfing (SOS) Internet Challenge, an educational program that teaches students how to stay safe online and be good cyber citizens through a game-driven, age-appropriate curriculum.
The SOS program, created for students in third through eighth grades, covers topics like cyberbullying, passwords, malware, social media, and more. The program also provides teachers with a curriculum that meets state and federal internet safety mandates.
CSSIA Interactives
The interactives were developed under the leadership of Mike Qaissaunee (about) at the Brookdale Cyber Center with funding from an NSF Grant. If you have kids or students interested learning or developing their skills in cybersecurity and networking, give these a try!
In addition, check out these Cyber Competition https://www.cssia.org/cybercompetitions/
MS-ISAC Cybersecurity Awareness Materials
MS-ISAC no longer prints toolkit materials, calendars or posters but you are welcome to print and share items below. https://www.cisecurity.org/ms-isac/ms-isac-toolkit/
- 2023 MS-ISAC Cybersecurity Awareness National Poster Contest Submission Form
- 2022 MS-ISAC Cybersecurity Awareness National Poster Contest Texas winners
- Tips and advice for staying safe online
Additional General Security Resources
Find additional cybersecurity information and tools from the following resources, all leaders in creating the standards for cybersecurity.
- Texas.gov Cyber Safety Corner
- US CERT CISA Tips for Home and Business
- US CERT CISA Tips for Home Network
- NSA Best Practices for Securing Your Home Network
- TEA Best Practices for Video Learning
- Proofpoint Activity Book for Kids