With the launch of the Biden administration’s National Cybersecurity Strategy, cybersecurity and the need to educate the next-generation workforce has taken center stage this year. With over 660,000 open cybersecurity positions in the United States, we’re proud to be part of the solution to solve the industry’s workforce shortage.

This past summer, CYBER.ORG continued our nationwide efforts to expand access to K-12 cybersecurity education and empower educators to train the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. Throughout June, July and August, we attended 82 events in 54 cities across 25 states, reaching 2,535 teachers and 2,323 students.

Designated by the Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance, this October marks the 20th anniversary of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Our team is so excited for you to experience the free events and resources we’ve put together in honor of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, now available in all 50 states through the CYBER.ORG Range in addition to the original formats.  

Lessons in the Classroom

During October, three no-cost cybersecurity lessons will be available for teachers to use in the classroom with their students.

• Lower Elementary Cybersecurity Lesson: This lesson will teach children about avatars. It will show them that a real person is behind the character as well as how to protect information when interacting with avatars because they are exchanging information with a real person.
• Upper Elementary Cybersecurity Lesson: This lesson will teach children how different security components can provide protection individually but are stronger when used together as layered security solutions for devices and networks.
• Middle School and Beyond Cybersecurity Lesson: This lesson will teach children to identify the features of a strong password while recognizing the importance of password protection. Show this lesson anytime during the month of October to spread cybersecurity awareness.

Teacher Cohorts

This year, we are excited to offer three teacher cohorts for an enriching, ongoing professional development experience to empower educators teaching cybersecurity.

The cohorts bring together passionate cybersecurity teachers who are dedicated to continuous growth and collaboration. They meet monthly for a supportive environment to exchange ideas, share best practices, and enhance your teaching skills.

• K-8 Cybersecurity Teachers Cohort – 2023-2024 School Year
• High School Cybersecurity Teachers Cohort – 2023-2024 School Year
• The CYBER.ORG Range Teachers Cohort – 2023-2024 School Year

Professional Development Events

In addition to the teacher cohorts, CYBER.ORG is hosting additional professional development sessions throughout Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

• Oct. 17 | Implementing Cybersecurity Course in Your Classroom for High School Teachers: In this workshop, you will learn how to implement Cybersecurity in your classroom with the help of CYBER.ORG’s free Cybersecurity course, containing attack and defense style labs using the CYBER.ORG Range and numerous real-world case studies.
• Oct. 19 | How to Implement the CYBER.ORG Range for Grades 6-12: Open to teachers 6-12, this workshop will teach you how to use the CYBER.ORG Cyber Range in your classroom to teach students hands-on, real-world tools, common with cyber-attacks, and how to defend against them.
• Oct. 23 | Gone Phishing and Other Social Engineering Attacks for Grades 9-12: This workshop will explore the dangers of malicious links and files where participants will use the CYBER.ORG Range to act as the malicious actor and the victim. 
• Oct. 24 | Coding Fundamentals with Cybersecurity for Grades 3-8: Open to teachers 3-8, this workshop will teach you how to introduce students to the foundational concepts of coding and cybersecurity through hands-on lessons.
• Oct. 25 | Cybersecurity Can Be Hands-On in K-12: Learn about K-12 cybersecurity curriculum, resources, and activities for educators at no cost, appropriate for not just high school, but also K-8 teachers, instructors, and caregivers.
• Oct. 26 | Implementing the Intro to Cybersecurity Course for Grades 8-12: Open to teachers 8-12, this workshop will teach you how to introduce students to cybersecurity and inspire interest in cybersecurity careers using CYBER.ORG’s free Intro to Cybersecurity course, including various types of labs using the CYBER.ORG Range.

Events

The CYBER.ORG team will be traveling throughout the month of October to share our curricula and resources.

• Oct. 12-13| ACTE Maine 2023 Fall Conference: One of CYBER.ORG's Cybersecurity Curriculum Specialists will present on "A Hands-On Approach to Cybersecurity and CTE.”
• Oct. 14| TCEA Area 1 Ed Tech Conference: One of CYBER.ORG's Cybersecurity Outreach Specialists will present on "Cybersecurity Awareness for K-8 Students.”
• Oct. 17| LASTEM Summit: One of CYBER.ORG's Cybersecurity Outreach Specialists will present on "Cybersecurity Awareness for All K-8 Students.”

Secure Our World

This year’s theme for Cybersecurity Awareness Month is “Secure Our World,” which focuses on behavioral change to improve cybersecurity habits. All Americans should consider how we can all “secure our accounts,” “secure our families,” and “secure our businesses.”

As a long-time partner with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), we encourage all teachers and students to explore the Secure Our World campaign resources that CISA has provided for Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2023.

Thank you to everyone who has already engaged with our events and resources for this year’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month! Through October and beyond, we remain laser-focused on continuing our work to improve diversity and inclusion in cybersecurity education and ensuring that every student can see themselves in cybersecurity.

We look forward to continuing our partnerships with both the federal government and our private sector collaborators to empower every K-12 student with foundational and technical cybersecurity knowledge and skills.