Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2023
October 2023 marks the 20th Cybersecurity Awareness Month (CSAM).
The focus of this year’s CSMA is on four key behaviors:
- Turning on Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). Having a strong password is not good enough; using MFA can increase your ability to prevent a scammer from getting access to your account. MFA is available from Apple, Google, Microsoft, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other companies. To look for what companies offer MFA try using https://2fa.directory/us/
- Using strong passwords and a password manager. It’s difficult to remember all the different passwords, and when they are complex, it is a bit difficult. Having a good password manager can help keep your password organized.
- Updating software regularly. Your software on your phone, computer, and even in the car needs regular updates. Not only do you get new features, but a lot of security is incorporated into the updates.
- Recognizing and reporting phishing. Take a moment and read the email. Who is the email address that sent the email? Never click on a link in the email; always go to the site by typing the address manually. For more tips on avoiding scams, the FTC has several more examples: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-avoid-scam.
Events
| Webinars | Details |
|---|---|
Description: F.B.I. Employee Panel & Information Session, L.A. County F.B.I. Agents will talk with students about employment and the process with the bureau. Please use a .edu email to register for this event | Who: California State University, Channel Islands What: Internships, Careers with the F.B.I. When: October 20, 2023 at 1PM Flyer: |
Description: CompTIA's Chief Technology Evangelist, Dr. James Stanger will talk about the cybersecurity professional diaries: A day in the life: This webinar discusses the myriad job roles found in the world of “cybersecurity.” he will then discuss specific people in various roles, from SOC analyst to pen tester, to GRC/compliance specialist, to auditor, and so forth. Dr. Stanger will talk about working InfoSec professionals and what they do. We will have CISOs from Cal State Long Beach and CSU Chico. Please use a .edu email to register for this event | Who: California State University, Channel Islands What: Roles in the Cybersecurity field. When: October 26, 2023 at 11AM (Zoom) Flyer: |
Description: We're celebrating 20 years of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month! SJSU IT is excited to present a cybersecurity summit focusing on AI-enabled solutions and threats and how the latest generation of AI security affects higher education. | Who: California State University, San Jose What:Extended Education Technology Series Higher Education AI Summit When: October 5, 2023 at 3 PM (Zoom) |
Description: Women in Cybersecurity Executive Director, Lynn Dohm, discusses how to build a culture of allyship in cybersecurity. | Who: San Diego State University What: Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) When: October 17, 2023 at 1:30 PM Register: |
Description: Join Sophos’ Chester Wisniewski and Andrew Mundell as he tackles the critical questions and concerns surrounding ChatGPT's potential for misuse in cybersecurity, specifically in higher education. While artificial intelligence is revolutionizing how we generate content and interact online, it also poses significant security challenges. | Who: California State University, Monterey Bay What: Sophos | Chat GPT in the Age of Cybercrime Speaker: Chester Wisniewski When: October 18, 2023 at 10 AM (Zoom) Register: |
Description: Ways to stay safe online while surfing the internet. Edward Ho (Cal State LA ISO) cybersecurity tips to keep you safe online | Who: California State University, Los Angeles What: Security Webinar - Stay Safe online When: October 18, 2023 at Noon (Zoom) Register: https://calstatela.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HOYwD2o0RvqHwpGmWEABpQ |
Description: An overall look at the threats currently in Higher Education related to cyber threats. | Who: California State University, Long Beach What: Crowdstrike | Higher Ed Threat Brief with Tina Thorstenson When: October 24, 2023 at 10 AM Register: https://csuci.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_XDa5jE0IR9m7KjsmPEY45w / |
Description: Cybersecurity Trends and How To Protect Yourself with John Dellinger | Who: California State University, Long Beach What: Microsoft: John Dellinger When: October 25, 2023 at 11 AM Register: https://csuci.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UAUap6L0SHGsPZAXI8K_-A |
Description: Overview of threats from phishing emails. | Who: California State University, Long Beach What: Splunk | Executive talk with Mick Baccio When: October 19, 2023 at 10 AM Register: https://csuci.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9HxZ2SJkQM6bIug-h8dk2Q |
| 2023 CSU Poster Contest | |
The 2023 Poster Contest will be hosted by Cal Poly Pomona. It is open to all CSU students. To find out more information please go to the follow site: https://www.cpp.edu/cyberfair/poster-information/poster-contest-information-2023.shtml | When: September 22, 2023, at 5:00 PM PST – Poster Submission Deadline. Prizes: Cyber Security Problem-Solving Proof of Concept Poster: **1st Place $1000 ** 2nd Place $750 ** 3rd Place $475 Cyber Security Awareness Poster: **1st Place $350 ** 2nd Place $250 ** 3rd Place $175 |
Find more CSU Webinars here
Previous CSAMs:
CyberSecurity Awareness Month 2022
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month; this year’s theme is "See Yourself in Cyber!"
Past Events
| Webinars | Details |
|---|---|
See Yourself in Cyber! Special Guest: ITPRO TV | Cybersecurity Awareness Webinar 2022 | What: This CSU & ITPRO TV Webinar will talk about the Cyber Security field and the many opportunities as a career choice. When: Thursday, October 27, 10:00 am - 11 am (PST) Event is closed. Prizes: Gift cards and swag. |
CI and Chico | What: Is a Degree or a certification the best path for a Cyber Security path When: Thursday, October 27, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm (PST) Event is closed. Prizes: Gift cards and swag. |
| Be CyberSmart – Do Your Part! | Optiv | What: Hear from Jessica Hetrick at Optiv, “the cyber advisory and solutions leader,” about how you can help protect yourself and the CSU. Jessica will share details on the impact of clicking on that phishing email and also share what you can do to help fight against the adversary. She will share a few tips and tricks that will reduce the risk and help keep you more secure. When: Friday, October 28, 9:00 am - 10:00 am (PST) Event is closed. |
FBI Cyber Chat | What: CSU is hosting a cyber chat with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) When: Monday, October 24, 10:00 am - 11:00 am (PST) Watch: Event is closed. |
See Yourself in Cyber! Special Guest: CompTIA (Dr. James Stanger)| Cybersecurity Awareness Webinar 2022 (PDF, 638KB)
What: What steps would individuals take to become a security professional? CompTIA shares insights from their Chief Evangelist. When: Tuesday, October 25, 10:00 am - 11 am(PST) Event is closed. |
Find more CSU Webinars here
CSU Cybersecurity Multimedia Contest 2022
Previous CyberSecurity Awareness Month Presentations
CyberSecurity Awareness Month 2021
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month; this year’s theme is Fight the Phish!
Fight the Phish! | Cybersecurity Awareness Webinar 2021
Presented by Carlos Miranda, Associate Director of Information Security along with San Francisco State, San Jose State and Cal State Long Beach
Featured Speaker: Aaron Higbee, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder Cofense
The CSU & Cofense WEBINAR explored the latest phishing scams and techniques. Learn how to identity attacks, why attackers are targeting higher education, and what you can do to protect your devices and data. Co-founder and CTO of Cofense, Aaron has more than 20 years of cybersecurity and senior management leadership. His prior experience includes senior security and consulting roles at McAfee Foundstone, Lucent, and Time Warner Cable.
Aaron pioneered the best practice of phishing simulations, now embraced by security teams in every major industry. He has driven research and development for the Cofense phishing defense platform. He serves on the Forbes Technology Council, board of directors for Threat Quotient; was named a 2017 and 2021 Tech Titan by the Washingtonian, and a CTO of the Year in the 2018 Info Security PG Global Excellence Awards. Under his leadership, Cofense has been recognized with several Cybersecurity excellence awards in 2019, Gartner Peer insights choice in 2018 and 2019, and a Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader 2017 and 2018. Also, in 2018 Cofense solutions was honored as a CSO Best Security Software, and a SC Magazine Award Winner, 2016 and 2017.
CyberSecurity Awareness Month 2020
October is CyberSecurity Awareness Month. We wanted our campus community to be BeCyberSmart! To celebrate CyberSecurity Awareness Month we had a webinar on October 22 from 10am-11am.
BeCyberSmart | Securing your "Smart" Home
Presented by Carlos Miranda, Associate Director of Information Security
Do you have any of the following smart devices? Cameras, doorbells, smoke detectors, and other internet-enabled devices? October is CyberSecurity Month, and this year's topic is #BeCyberSmart. Join us for a presentation on taking steps to secure your smart home and general best practices around Information Security. There will be 15 minutes at the end of the presentation for Q & A.
We Will Discuss:
- Purchasing a smart device
- Usernames and password safety
- What IoT is and what to do
- Keeping your software up-to-date
The Information Security team at CSUCI invites you to join National Cybersecurity Awareness Month this October by taking steps to secure your smart home.
When purchasing a smart device, you should always prioritize security and privacy. Take these steps to ensure you are making the safest "smart home" purchase possible:
- Start by doing your research before buying a smart device.
- Change the default usernames and passwords on new devices. Leaving the default settings can make you an easy target for hackers. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication to add a second layer of defense.
- Put your Internet of Things (IoT) devices on your guest network. If the smart device is on your guest network and is compromised, you can limit that attack vector from your main network.
- Keep your software up to date. Make sure you have the latest updates and patches to improve performance and security. #BeCyberSmart
More Resources:
Think you are capable of spotting a Phishing email? Take the Phishing quiz from Google
Contacts for Information Security
Carlos Miranda | Chief Information Security Officer - carlos.miranda@csuci.edu
For more information or questions about Information Security, contact CSUCI's Information Security Team at infosec@csuci.edu