Gov. Burgum Proclaims October 2024 as Cybersecurity Awareness Month in North Dakota: NDIT Highlights Online Safety

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BISMARCK, N.D. - Gov. Doug Burgum has proclaimed October 2024 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).<_o3a_p>

"Cybersecurity isn't just about technology-it's about people. As we continue to build and secure our digital landscape, each of us plays a critical role," said Greg Hoffman, chief information officer, North Dakota Information Technology. "Together, through awareness and action, we can safeguard our future and ensure the best possible government experience for the citizens of North Dakota."<_o3a_p>

From mobile to connected home devices, technology is deeply intertwined in our lives. Emerging technologies have many great benefits for society but with those new technologies come new opportunities for bad actors to disrupt our online activities at home, school or at work. Cybersecurity Awareness Month aims to highlight some of the emerging challenges that exist in the world of cybersecurity today and provide straightforward, actionable guidance that anyone can follow to create a safe and secure digital world for themselves and their loved ones.<_o3a_p>

This year's National Cybersecurity Awareness Month themeis Secure Our World, with the main messaging revolving around four key cybersecurity best practices:<_o3a_p>

1. Understanding the benefits of using a password manager and dispelling existing myths around password manager security and ease of use.<_o3a_p>
2. Turning on multifactor authentication on personal devices and business networks. <_o3a_p>
3. Recognizing and reporting phishing - still one of the primary threat actions used by cybercriminals today.<_o3a_p>
4. Installing updates on a regular basis and turning on automated updates.<_o3a_p>

There are a lot of different ways that you can stay safe online. For more information about Cybersecurity Awareness Month, including resources and guides, visit cisa.gov.<_o3a_p>

About National Cybersecurity Awareness Month
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. <_o3a_p>

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C O N T A C T: <_o3a_p>

Jeremy Fettig | 701-226-4569 <_o3a_p>

[email protected]

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Alisa Cook | 701-328-7408
[email protected]<_o3a_p>

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