Governor Declares October Cyber Security Awareness Month

BOSTON — Gov. Charlie Baker has proclaimed October Cyber Security Awareness Month in Massachusetts in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security’s National Cyber Security Awareness Month, to engage and educate the public and private sectors about preparedness for issues related to cybersecurity.

“This month is a great opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity for the people of Massachusetts, our businesses, and state government,” Baker said. “The cybersecurity field also represents a great opportunity for Massachusetts to utilize the multi-disciplinary collection of assets and capacities in our universities, our industries, and our government to be a leader globally in cybersecurity services.”

Added Kristen Lepore, secretary of the Executive Office for Administration and Finance, “MassIT’s Enterprise Security Office is essential to ensuring the security of the state’s data. Their collaboration with the federal government and national groups like the Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) allows the state to share best practices about cybersecurity with our partners at the local level.”

According to Kevin Burns, the Commonwealth’s chief information security officer, “we recognize that the single most important element of cybersecurity for constituents is safeguarding their private, personal information. Ensuring privacy and security to the greatest possible extent is central to our work, and to help us in that endeavor, we are fortunate to actively collaborate and partner with the nation’s most critical players in this space — from the Department of Homeland Security and the Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center to industry-leading private-sector organizations.”

To raise awareness throughout the month of October, MassIT will post new content on the state’s cybersecurity homepage, www.mass.gov/cybersecurity. A digital cybersecurity awareness campaign using billboards will also run throughout the state as part of the state Department of Transportation’s Public Service Announcement Program.