Today marks the kick-off of week two of the European Cyber Security Month, when ENISA, the European Commission, and European Schoolnet will focus on expanding the digital skills and education of citizens across Europe.
‘Get cyber skilled’ is a campaign that aims to support the advancement of cybersecurity education and skills to the next generation.
European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel said: “Advancing cybersecurity skills and education of younger generations is important for keeping themselves and others safe. Just like the physical world, there are threats online that could pose a danger to children and young adults physically, emotionally and financially. Building cybersecurity skills and competences helps the younger generation to develop routine cyber hygiene practices, which they can then transfer to others and help protect society.”
ENISA’s Executive Director Udo Helmbrecht said: “Cybersecurity is a cutting edge and fast paced field that is also about human behaviour and helping others. Nurturing cybersecurity skills helps individuals to defend themselves online enabling them to become more resilient, self-reliant and confident: all strong positive character traits for a young inspiring future generation. Together with the European Commission, we are running this campaign to support parents, teachers, guardians, role models and community leaders with developing cybersecurity education and skills in young people."
The European Schoolnet Digital Citizenship Programme Manager Hans Martens said: “European Schoolnet is delighted to be involved in the ‘Get Cyber Skilled’ campaign as an aspect of European Cyber Security Month. Online security is increasingly seen as an important component of online safety, and our collaboration with ENISA on this learning event for teachers, delivered through the eTwinning platform, allows us to further disseminate the expertise developed within the Insafe network. By skilling educators on topics such as effective password security, privacy and good data management principles - and supporting them to deliver key messages in the classroom - we can in turn encourage children and young people to develop good cyber hygiene practices to draw upon throughout their lives, helping to protect both themselves and others online.”
For this campaign, learning modules were created with European Schoolnet as part of the #SaferInternet4EU initiative launched earlier this year by Commissioner Mariya Gabriel. This initiative stems from the Digital Education Action Plan Priority – developing relevant digital skills and competences for the digital transformation.
The modules are to be shared with teachers across Europe, who tailored them accordingly to create a study plan for their classes. Topics include password management, backing up data, privacy settings, and protecting against social engineering.
ECSM is the European Union’s annual awareness raising campaign dedicated to promoting cybersecurity among citizens and organizations, providing up-to-date security information through education and sharing of best practices.
"Cyber security is a shared responsibility – Stop. Think. Connect." Follow the campaign on Twitter @CyberSecMonth and use the hashtags #CyberSecMonth, #OctoberNIS, and #CyberAware.
Contact
For press questions and interviews, please contact: press@enisa.europa.eu.