Colorado Springs, Colorado – Cybersecurity for State Leaders, a nationwide awareness initiative aimed at training state lawmakers and their staff on best practices in cybersecurity, went live with its on-demand nationwide workshops on Wednesday. The initiative, led by the National Cybersecurity Center (NCC) and supported by Google, will hold live virtual forums and interactive, on-demand workshops nationwide.
The on-demand workshops feature participation from national cybersecurity leaders in both the public and private sector, including famed cybersecurity executive and Investor on ABC’s Shark Tank and founder and CEO of the Herjavec Group, Robert Herjavec, former State Department Spokesperson and Undersecretary of State for Public Affairs Heather Nauert, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chief Information Security Officer for the Information Security Division of the U.S. Small Business Administration James Saunders, representatives from Google, IBM, Microsoft’s Defending Democracy Program, and more. In addition to the national participants, the virtual forums will feature state leaders in all fifty states.
SIGN UP FOR THE ON-DEMAND CYBERSECURITY FOR STATE LEADERS TRAINING HERE.
“The mission of Cybersecurity for State Leaders is to raise the level of cybersecurity awareness among state-level policy and decision-makers so that they become an active and evolving part of defense for states,” Forrest Senti, Cybersecurity for State Leaders program lead said. “The on-demand workshops feature some of the most influential leaders in cybersecurity from the public and private sector who offer their expertise to train state officials,” he added.
In March, Cybersecurity for State Leaders formally launched with the signing of the initiative’s Cyber Charter by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R-OH) and Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold (D-CO). This nonpartisan training curriculum will prepare lawmakers and statehouse staff to be vigilant against cyber threats by offering a deep dive into: the ecosystem of cybersecurity, common types of cyber attacks, how and why cyber attacks work, and best practices on how to protect individuals against cyber threats.
By signing the charter, Secretary LaRose and Secretary Griswold committed to promoting a stronger culture of cybersecurity awareness in their offices and throughout their state, and to be ambassadors for Cybersecurity for State Leaders. State leaders across the country will be encouraged to sign the Cyber Charter to show their commitment to cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity is more important than ever as evidenced by governments more frequently falling victim to cyberattacks. This initiative takes training directly to the frontlines of our democracy and ensures state lawmakers are well versed on the threat environment as well as how to mitigate and protect against potential attacks.
For more information on Cybersecurity for State Leaders, visit https://cyberforgovleaders.org/.
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The National Cybersecurity Center (NCC) is a non-profit organization established for cyber innovation and awareness. Established in 2016 from the vision of United States Senator from Colorado John Hickenlooper, in coordination with several people from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) and the community, the NCC serves both public and private organizations and individuals through training, education and research. Discover NCC at https://cyber-center.org.
