We are 24 days into National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM), and we are still going strong! If you have been following our NCSAM journey, you now know that we are passionate about this topic and want to encourage everyone to be safer and more secure online. That’s why, today, we will be summarizing how the STOP. THINK. CONNECT.TM campaign came to be and what purpose it serves.
The STOP. THINK. CONNECT.TM Campaign launched on October 4, 2010 and was designed to help Americans understand the risks that come with using the Internet, but also the importance of practicing safe online behavior. This campaign is led by the Department of Homeland Security and was the result of a collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Online Consumer Security and Safety Messaging Convention.
This campaign aims to:1
- Elevate the nation's awareness of cybersecurity and its association with national security and the safety of our personal lives.
- Engage the American public, the private sector, and state and local governments in our nation's effort to improve cybersecurity.
- Communicate approaches and strategies for the public to keep themselves, their families and their communities safer online.
In 2009, President Obama saw a need to raise awareness about cybersecurity while also educating Americans about its importance. He released the Cyberspace Policy Review, which soon became the foundation to the campaign—STOP. THINK. CONNECT.TM
In a world comprised of technology used to accomplish everyday tasks, job responsibilities and so much more we must practice safe online behavior! The Department of Homeland Security says, “More and more, Americans are using new technologies and spending more time online. Our growing dependence on technology, coupled with the increasing threat of cyber-attacks, demands greater security in our online world.”1 You can read our other articles (Own IT. Secure IT. Protect IT.) on how to remain connected while also protecting your personal information and devices.
You may be asking yourself; “How can I raise awareness about cybersecurity?” There are so many avenues that you can take to broach this topic with others and DHS has provided a ton of toolkit materials to get the conversation started. They even broke each toolkit down by different audiences! You can also encourage those within your circle to join STOP. THINK. CONNECT.TM Campaign! Take some time today to spread the word about this campaign and encourage those in your network to become a “friend” of the campaign.
We will leave you with this quote from the Department of Homeland Security’s website, “We each have to do our part to keep the Internet safe. When we all take simple steps to be safer online, it makes using the Internet a more secure experience for everyone.”2
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