October Is Cybersecurity Awareness Month for the 23rd Year: CISA's Theme Is 'Securing the Next 250'
WASHINGTON — October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month in the United States. According to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's (CISA) official 2026 toolkit, this is the campaign's 23rd year. CISA's theme is 'Securing the Next 250,' tied to the nation's 250th anniversary and focused on the government and private-sector organizations that support critical infrastructure — keeping the lights on, the water running and other vital services available. The National Cybersecurity Alliance's companion theme this year is 'Don't Make It Easy for Them.'
CISA's four core actions are: recognize and report phishing; use strong passwords with a password manager; turn on multifactor authentication; and keep software updated. For businesses and organizations, CISA lists additional steps including requiring strong passwords and MFA for all users, teaching employees to avoid phishing scams, backing up and encrypting data, maintaining an incident response plan, and reporting cyber incidents to CISA.
The awareness month, held every Oct. 1–31 and first launched in 2004, is led by CISA and the National Cybersecurity Alliance. CISA describes this year's campaign as a call to action for organizations and leaders who own, operate, supply or otherwise support the nation's vital services. (Sources: CISA Cybersecurity Awareness Month Toolkit; National Cybersecurity Alliance 2026 campaign materials)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 网络安全演练现场，公有领域（美国海军照片，Wikimedia Commons）
