WHEREAS, the State of North Carolina plays a vital role in identifying, and fighting cybersecurity threats that endanger our security and privacy, our economy and our critical infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, critical infrastructure increasingly relies on information systems and technology to operate, including support for financial services, energy, telecommunications, transportation, utilities, health care, and emergency response systems; and
WHEREAS, North Carolina’s Whole-of-State approach to cybersecurity increases sharing of intelligence about threats, enhances preparedness, and provides a unified approach to statewide cyber defense; and
WHEREAS, cyberattacks, which are ever evolving and increasingly sophisticated, continue to concern state and local governments, schools, colleges, and universities due to their potentially devastating impact on North Carolina’s critical infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, all people, businesses, government agencies, and schools play a critical role in maintaining the security of cyberspace, and the awareness of cybersecurity essentials will improve the security of North Carolina's information, infrastructure, and economy; and
WHEREAS, people can help strengthen our overall cybersecurity and protect themselves from phishing, viruses, malware, and loss of sensitive data by developing good cyber habits, such as monitoring their accounts, being mindful of what they share online, keeping operating systems and applications up to date, creating strong, unique passwords and changing them regularly, enabling multi-factor authentication where possible, and installing anti-virus programs and firewalls; and
WHEREAS, Governor Cooper signed Executive Order 254 on March 16, 2022, establishing the Joint Cybersecurity Task Force to provide crucial services to North Carolina in preventing and responding to cybersecurity breaches and attacks, including increased threats arising from Russia’s recent unlawful invasion of Ukraine;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim October, 2022, as “CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS MONTH” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.