Introduction
In October 2024, iCSS will be organising a Cyber Security Awareness Month (iCSS-CSM24), which will see many activities for raising awareness on cyber security among students, staff and visitors of the University of Kent and local people living in the Kent and Medway region.
The Kent and Medway wide activities will be organised jointly with two local ecosystem building bodies, KMCC (Kent & Medway Cyber Cluster Ltd) and KMCSN (Kent & Medway CyberSchools Network), and with a student society – KMCS3 (Kent & Medway Cyber Security Student Society).
Activities
A wide range of activities are being planned. Confirmed activities are listed below, and more will be added throughout October.
- A “Creative Cyber” Exhibition open for the whole October, co-organised with multiple internal and external bodies (visit the dedicated page for more details)
- Four cyber screening nights on the last four Wednesdays in October, jointly organised with KMCS3 (Kent & Medway Cyber Security Student Society) and the Lupino Film Club
- Two cyber security escape room games and a number of comic books in cyber security and online safety supplied by Xcapism Learning Ltd
- One cyber/AI fables event, co-organised with the School of Classics, English and History of the University of Kent
- Student engagement activities of KMCS3
Although such activities are organised mainly for students and staff of the University of Kent, most are open to all including the general public.
Cyber Security Awareness Month as a worldwide initiative
The idea of a Cyber Security Awareness Month in October originally started in the USA, and the first of such National Cybersecurity Awareness Months (NCSMs) was organised in 2004, declared by the President and Congress of the USA. Later the European Union adopted the idea, and started the European Cybersecurity Month (ECSM) in 2012. In the UK, different organisations have been promoting the Cyber Security Awareness Month in October, e.g., DSIT, NHS and the cyber security training sector. Several UK universities have organised Cyber Security Awareness Month in the past, e.g., University College London (UCL); Queen Mary University of London; Royal Holloway, University of London; and University of Portsmouth.
