The National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA), the nation’s leading nonprofit dedicated to empowering individuals to protect themselves from cybercrime and scams, today announced the launch of the 23rd annual Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The global initiative, held every October, raises awareness about online safety and helps individuals and businesses to protect themselves from cybercrime.
This year, the National Cybersecurity Alliance is rallying businesses and consumers around the theme “Don’t Make It Easy for Them.” The campaign focuses on a simple idea: Staying safe online isn’t about making one perfect decision. It’s about building strong cybersecurity habits and applying them consistently every day. By taking simple steps to better protect accounts, devices and personal information, everyone can make life more difficult for cybercriminals.
“Every small choice you make adds up. Cybersecurity is a daily practice, not a one-time fix. ,” said Lisa Plaggemier, Executive Director of the National Cybersecurity Alliance. “Cybercriminals count on people being busy, distracted or simply not thinking about security in the moment. Using strong passwords, turning on multifactor authentication, keeping your devices updated and thinking twice before you click are simple things we can all do to protect ourselves. When those actions become part of our everyday routine, we make it much harder for cybercriminals to succeed. This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we want people to make those small changes and stick with them — because we don’t have to make it easy for cybercriminals.”
As AI puts more sophisticated tools in the hands of bad actors, simple and effective actions exist to help us protect ourselves, our families and the organizations we work for. Cybersecurity Awareness Month helps turn those actions into everyday habits, giving individuals and businesses practical resources they can use this month and beyond.
Launched in 2004, Cybersecurity Awareness Month is led by the National Cybersecurity Alliance and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Together, NCA, CISA and participating organizations provide resources to help businesses, nonprofits, schools, communities and individuals promote safer online behaviors.
The 2026 toolkit uses real-world cases of actual hackers and scammers who have been arrested, prosecuted, or shut down to highlight four cyber threats: password cracking, unprotected accounts, unpatched systems, and phishing scams. For each threat, the toolkit outlines simple defensive behaviors anyone can adopt — from using strong, unique passwords and enabling MFA, to keeping devices updated and pausing to scrutinize suspicious messages.
Become a Cybersecurity Awareness Month Champion
Individuals, businesses and organizations can become 2026 Cybersecurity Awareness Month Champions by signing up on the NCA website. Champions receive a free Cybersecurity Awareness Month Toolkit with materials and resources to help educate employees, customers and communities about online safety and promote cybersecurity best practices throughout October. There are no financial obligations required to participate.
To learn more and sign up, please visit https://staysafeonline.org/programs/champion/.
