October 2019: Michigan Cybersecurity Awareness Month

WHEREAS, the state of Michigan recognizes that it has a vital role in identifying, protecting, and responding to cyber threats that may have significant impact on our individual and collective security and privacy; and,

 

WHEREAS, critical infrastructure sectors are increasingly reliant on information systems to support financial services, energy, telecommunications, transportation, utilities, health care, and emergency response systems; and,

 

WHEREAS, cybersecurity education and awareness are crucial for everyone, including large corporations, small businesses, financial institutions, schools, government agencies, home users, and anyone who connects to the internet; and,

 

WHEREAS, being vigilant and reviewing your account information, being conscientious of what you share online, keeping computer software up-to-date, creating unique passwords and changing them regularly, installing anti-virus programs and firewalls, and using mobile devices safely are ways you can protect yourself from phishing, viruses, malware, and loss of sensitive data; and,

 

WHEREAS, the Stop.Think.Connect.™ Campaign (www.dhs.gov/stopthinkconnect or www.stopthinkconnect.org) has been designated as the National Public Awareness Campaign, implemented through a coalition of private companies, nonprofit and government organizations, as well as academic institutions working together to increase the understanding of cyber threats and empowering the American public to be safer and more secure online; and,

 

WHEREAS, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework has been developed as a free resource to help organizations (large and small, both public and private) improve their cybersecurity practices through a practical approach to addressing evolving threats and challenges; and,

 

WHEREAS, maintaining the security of cyberspace is a shared responsibility in which each of us has a critical role to play, and awareness of computer security essentials will improve the security of state of Michigan’s information, infrastructure, and economy; and,

WHEREAS, the Michigan Cyber Command Center was established in 2013 to enhance and protect the state of Michigan’s cybersecurity ecosystem; and,

 

WHEREAS, the Federal Government of the United States of America, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (www.dhs.gov/cyber), the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (http://msisac.cisecurity.org), the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (www.nascio.org), and the National Cyber Security Alliance (www.staysafeonline.org) all recognize October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month and encourage all citizens to visit these websites, along with state of Michigan website (www.michigan.gov/cybersecurity) and the STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™ Campaign website (www.dhs.gov/stopthinkconnect or www.stopthinkconnect.org) to learn about cybersecurity to put that knowledge into practice in their homes, schools, workplaces, and businesses;

 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim October 2019 as Cybersecurity Awareness Month in Michigan.