European Cyber Security Month: during October, find out how to be safe online

October is European Cyber Security Month, the EU's campaign to promote cyber security.

Want to find out how to stay safe online? Throughout October 2015, join one of the dozens of events, webinars, and other actions that are part of October-European Cyber Security Month (ECSM), which kicked-off today in Brussels. More than 100 events and activities in 27 countries (listed underneath) will help us all protect ourselves from cyber threats through information security advice, competitions, education opportunities and sharing of good practices. The campaign's theme is "cyber security is a shared responsibility – Stop. Think. Connect." inviting everyone to find out more about online security and to help others protect themselves from cyber threats. The Digital Single Market Strategy will work towards stepping up the supply of more secure solutions by EU industry and to stimulate their take-up by everyone in Europe: this will be achieved mainly by the establishment of a public-private partnership on cyber security in technologies and online networks, along with a review of the ePrivacy Directive (both planned for 2016).

European Cyber Security Month is being celebrated for the third consecutive year and has been organised by the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA), the European Commission and over 100 partners (local authorities, governments, universities, think tanks, NGOs, professional associations) from all over Europe. The campaign also has an international reach: discover the U.S. campaign here.

Vice-President Ansip, in charge of the Digital Single Market, said: "Security against cyber-attacks has become central to consumer confidence and the online economy. But we cannot get the best out of the opportunities offered by digital tools and online networks if we do not trust them. Raising awareness of the risks and threats, and the fact that cybersecurity is a shared responsibility, is vital so that when they are online, people can make better informed choices and guard against risks" (read the full blog post). 

Commissioner Oettinger, in charge of the Digital Economy and Society, said: "To make the digital world a secure place for everyone, we all have to contribute: policy makers, research, industry, citizens. But for Europeans to fully enjoy the benefits of a safe Internet, they also need to be aware of the risks they face online and to know how they can to play an active role for their own security in their daily lives. The European Cybersecurity Month is a great opportunity to spread good practices and increase the overall level of awareness and thus of cybersecurity in the EU".

ENISA’s Executive Director, Prof. Udo Helmbrecht, said: “As our societies are continuously being digitised and we are moving in the era of IoT and smart cities, e-skills and online security are essential resources that need to be developed and continuously enhanced. The Agency is developing an entire Network and Information Security (NIS) community around the Cyber Security Month initiative."

Action! Happening during October

The ECSM runs for the entire month of October, with each week focusing on a different topic.

1st week – October 1-4: Cyber security training for employees

2nd week – October 5-11: Creating a Culture of Cybersecurity at Work

3rd week – October 12-18: Code Week for all

4th week – October 19-25: Understanding Cloud solutions for all

5th week – October 26-31: Digital Single Market for all

The ECSM runs in Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Greece, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Ireland, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Finland, Sweden, Austria, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Croatia, Norway, Iceland and Turkey.

During each week, ENISA and the Commission will be publishing reports, organising events and activities centred around each of these topics. Events will focus on training, strategy summits, general presentations to users, online quizzes, etc.

Each week, ENISA will be publishing new material here.

Find some tips by ENISA on how to stay safe online whether you're an educator, an employee, an IT expert or a simple user.

A Twitter chat will be held on Thursday October 8 by our US counterparts at 22.00 Brussels time. Follow the chat on #CyberSecMonth or #ChatSTC.

Take this quiz to find out how secure you are online

Find infographics with security information.

Trust and Security in the Digital Single Market

The European Commission contributes to this goal in a number of ways: by creating the legal framework to enhance cyber security capabilities in Europe (notably through its dedicated Cybersecurity Strategy for Europe and the Network and Information Security Directive); by working to ensure privacy of online communications (notably through the EU Data Protection Directive and the ePrivacy Directive); by supporting top-tier cyber security R&D (investing about half a billion in H2020), by strengthening our cyber security industrial capabilities. Fighting cybercrime is also a key pillar of the European Agenda on Security published in April. The Commission is also raising awareness on cybersecurity amongst its own staff with trainings and a dedicated campaign earlier this year.

Useful Links

  • Read the inspiring stories of our cyber security Ambassador