Cyber Safety Spotlight: Security Awareness Month Starts October 1
Under the theme “Be Cyber Aware, Stay Secure”, the 10th Cyber Security Awareness Month campaign will commence on Wednesday, October 1. Since 2016, this campaign has been implemented in Bangladesh by the non-governmental organization Cyber Crime Awareness Foundation (CCAF). As in previous years, CCAF has been officially included in this global campaign by the U.S.-based National Cyber Security Alliance.
The initiative is sponsored by mobile operator Robi Axiata PLC, technology service provider Palo Alto Networks, Smart Data Technologies, and Fiber@Home, with support from Cyber Support for Women and Children (CSWC), a platform of 14 social organizations. Together, they will implement a range of awareness activities across the country.
At an event held at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity last Friday (September 26), organizers announced that the month-long program will be divided into four weekly themes: password management in the first week, multi-factor authentication in the second, keeping software regularly updated in the third, and avoiding suspicious links in the fourth. They emphasized that failure to follow these basic rules could expose individuals, institutions, and even the state to significant risks. Therefore, these four areas will be prioritized throughout October.
As part of its program, CCAF has already invited proposals from educational institutions to host awareness events. Additionally, discussions, seminars, quiz competitions, debates, SMS and email campaigns, media articles, and other initiatives involving human rights groups, lawyers, and technology professionals are planned. Anyone from across the country—whether individuals or organizations—may participate. To support this, CCAF will provide a toolkit in Bangla, and details of the month-long program are available on the website ccabd.org.
CCAF has also urged government and private offices, commercial organizations, associations, schools, colleges, and universities to take part in the campaign.
CSWC, which collaborates in this initiative, is a platform of 14 organizations working to combat online violence against women and children. The platform is convened by the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), co-convened by the Cyber Crime Awareness Foundation (CCAF), and coordinated by Naripokkho. Other member organizations include Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), Aroyddho Foundation, Article 19, Institute of Informatics and Development (IID), The Tech Academy, BRAC, Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum (BIGF), Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, Cyber Teens, Digitally Right Limited, and Human Rights Support Society (HRSS).
