Rounds, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Designating October as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), ranking member of the Cybersecurity Subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gary Peters (D-Mich.), chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and others introduced a bipartisan resolution designating October 2021 as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The resolution recognizes the grave threat cyber-attacks, including ransomware attacks, pose to our national security and highlights simple steps individuals and businesses can take to protect their networks.

“Increasing overall cybersecurity awareness, prevention measures and educational resources will help protect Americans from attacks and attempted hacks,” said Senator Rounds. “As the ranking member of the Cybersecurity Subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I am glad to join this bipartisan effort to bring attention to Cybersecurity Awareness Month and work to deter cyberattacks in our businesses, homes, government and military.”

“National Cybersecurity Awareness Month is an important way to help educate people, businesses, and government officials about how they can protect themselves and their customers from cyber-attacks that could significantly disrupt our daily lives and livelihoods,” said Senator Peters. “At a time when Americans are increasingly reliant on the internet to conduct day-to-day business – reminding folks of simple actions they can take to protect their security will help prevent cybercriminals from stealing personal information. This bipartisan resolution also highlights the need for an all hands on deck approach to prevent hackers from breaching American networks and compromising our national security.”

U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Angus King (I-Maine) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) are cosigners of the resolution.

The National Cybersecurity Awareness Month Resolution will designate October 2021 as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The resolution highlights how cybersecurity threats pose national security and economic threats to the United States, and notes simple steps individuals and businesses can take, including setting strong passwords and using multi-factor authentication, to improve their individual cybersecurity. The resolution underscores the importance of public-private collaboration to ensure our nation has the tools and resources needed to respond to and recover from cyber-attacks. It also recognizes the importance of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) as they lead efforts to protect American networks.

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