Bill Blair speaks on start of Cyber Security Awareness Month 2024

Ottawa – This October, the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSE) and its Get Cyber Safe national public awareness campaign launch Cyber Security Awareness Month (Cyber Month) with the theme “Generation Cyber Safe: Because online security knows no age”.

Online security is essential to all Canadians, regardless of when they were born — that’s why every generation is part of Generation Cyber Safe. From basic awareness of cyber threats to easy to use tools to defend against cyber criminals, Cyber Month covers it all.  Organizations and individuals across Canada are encouraged to get involved by using these free Generation Cyber Safe resources. Organizations who want to tailor their campaigns can take advantage of the generic materials instead.

Throughout the five-week campaign, Cyber Month 2024 highlights each generation’s unique cyber security strengths and shares easy to implement best practices and how to maintain them throughout the year. Cyber Month will explore the following weekly themes:

• Week 1: The most secure generation – Being part of Generation Cyber Safe means understanding the importance of securing your accounts. This week, we discuss various ways to secure your accounts, like:
  • multi-factor authentication (MFA)
  • passphrases and password managers
  • limiting the information that you share online
• Week 2: The most resourceful generation – Every generation needs the right tools to succeed, especially when it comes to staying safe online. This week, we discuss important tools that help protect you from common online threats, such as:
  • anti-virus protection
  • automatic updates
  • virtual private networks (VPNs)
• Week 3: The most social generation – All generations want to stay connected online. However, a number of tactics cyber criminals use can make socializing online dangerous.  This week, we discuss how to identify and avoid threats like:
  • phishing
  • social engineering
  • artificial intelligence (AI) generated content
• Week 4: The most proactive generation – Being part of Generation Cyber Safe means being proactive about your online safety. This week we explore practical measures like:
  • Secure storage and automatic back ups
  • cyber security awareness and training for organizations
  • organizational cyber security and incident response plans
• Week 5: The most helpful generation – One of the most fulfilling things any generation can do is pass on their knowledge. For Generation Cyber Safe, that means sharing online security wisdom with your friends, family and colleagues so they can stay safe online, too. This week, we discuss:
  • Get Cyber Safe and Cyber Centre resources
  • how to help others S.C.R.U.B. their devices
  • emerging tech and AI

To reinforce these essential cyber security basics, Get Cyber Safe is partnering with MediaSmarts to present two free virtual workshops in line with Cyber Month and Media Literacy Week.

• On October 2 the Discover Online Safety workshop discusses important cyber security information, like how to create strong passwords, download apps safely and avoid online scams.
• On October 21, the Navigating Online Privacy and Security workshop dig deeper into securing your accounts, keeping your devices safe from malware, and preventing and dealing with cyberstalking.

Cyber security knowledge shared across generations will ensure all Canadians have the right tools at their fingertips to keep themselves and their devices safe and secured. Cyber security is a shared responsibility, and it is much simpler than we all realize to stay cyber safe, so join us in promoting good online habits by participating in Cyber Month.