Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2024

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. WaTech's Office of Cybersecurity has several fun events planned to help you stay safe online, and protect information entrusted to the state from cyber threats.

Activities will include an in-person escape room an online quiz game and a IT Security "Clue" game. In addition, there will be weekly presentations by cybersecurity and privacy experts. State employees who attend presentations and participate in events will be entered into weekly drawings for gift cards. There also will be prizes for winners of the escape room and cyber quiz competitions. 

We are introducing a ranking system designed to classify presentations and activities by their technical depth, catering to varying levels of expertise. No matter if you're a cybersecurity newbie or a seasoned pro, there's something here for everyone!

General Audience, Technical Staff, IT Security Staff

Cybersecurity awareness presentations

  

General Audience

Kids privacy and data protection

Oct. 8, 2024: Noon - 1 p.m.

Katy Ruckle, State Chief Privacy Officer - WaTech

Join us for a presentation from Katy Ruckle, the State’s Chief Privacy Officer, on the current landscape of legislation to increase safety for kids online and other practical tips on children’s data protection.  This presentation will dive into the latest developments on the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act (KOSPA) and some of the first amendment challenges regarding legislation on age-appropriate design code...read more

Woman with long hair smiling

General Audience

Robbing a bank over the phone - How an expert social engineer can convince you to do anything

Oct. 9, 2024: 12 - 1 p.m.

Joshua Crumbaugh, CEO - PhishFirewall

In this keynote, Joshua Crumbaugh brings the audience along for the ride on one of the most advanced social engineering attacks he's ever executed - robbing a bank over the phone...read more

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Man with beard and moustache in suit

General Audience

Cyber ghost stories and other things that keep us awake at night

Oct. 9, 2024: 1 - 2 p.m.

Ian Moore, Cybersecurity State Coordinator of Washington - CISA

“Cyber-attacks are what nightmares are made of, at least for security professionals and executives. We lose sleep worrying about our employees clicking on links or attachments and our network becoming infected. We do whatever our budget can handle and we perform tasks for the level of skill and understanding that we have. No organization is perfect, regardless of their budget and skillset...read more

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Ian Moore

Technical Audience

TL;DR on top-Level domains and phishing

Oct. 10, 2024: 1 - 2 p.m.

Alexander Salazar Jr, Cybersecurity Advisor
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in King County and Seattle (Region 10)

Join Alex Salazar, Cybersecurity Advisor with CISA, as he discusses what Top-Level Domains are and how to spot scam and phishing pages...read more

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Alexander Salazar

Click here to view all presentations.

 


 

Cyberbytes

 

Cyberbytes will be posted bi-weekly in the month of October. Click here to watch more.

 

Events!

General Audience

Kahoot! Quiz games

Jessie Wachter

WaTech’s Office of Cybersecurity will host a cybersecurity quiz competition on Microsoft Teams each week. Your host, Jessie Wachter, will be on hand to guide players through the quiz and answer questions at the end. A Security Engineer at WaTech's Office of Cybersecurity by day, wanna-be quizmaster by night, Jessie is excited to be hosting the Cybersecurity Awareness Month Kahoot! quizzes again this year.

Jessie said the game combines two things she really enjoys, cybersecurity and quizzes! Providing the knowledge to make good cybersecurity choices can help everyone, whether in the work environment or at home. “I really hope to see everyone at the live events, to be held on every Thursday in October,” Jessie said. “If you can't make that, a link will be provided that allows access to the quiz from Thursday afternoon to the end of day Friday." 

  • Date: Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
  • Time: Noon to 1 p.m. (Pacific) 
  • Meeting link

First Week Winners

Kahoot

 

General Audience

Cyber Escape Room

Three people looking at a computer

The 2024 Cybersecurity Escape Room will take place at the 1500 Jefferson Building! The Cybersecurity Escape Room is a team experience that brings people together in a plot-based scenario that has you solving puzzles and working together while learning about key cybersecurity behaviors.
Your team will be absconded to a secret location, where you will participate in a 60 minute challenge. Sign up your team to participate in this totally new adventure! Creativity Bonus Points will be awarded for teams dressed in the spirit of this event. Be sure to stop by our photo booth and take a picture with our mascot WaTech Sasquatch!  
You and your team have a chance to win cool prizes and impress your friends!   

How to reserve a room:

  • Click on this signup link. 
  • Provided information about your state agency team. (must be   2-6 people)
  • Important: Signups are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please coordinate with your team members on three date and time options.

Questions? Please contact Rhonda Mendel at WaTech.

 

man smiling
General Audience

Data Heist Mystery

In Data Heist Mystery, players step into the shoes of digital investigators tasked with uncovering a high-stakes data breach. Similar to the classic game Clue, players must piece together evidence to determine who stole the data, what tool they used, and where the data was stolen. Was it the CFO in the Server Room using a network transfer? Or maybe the Lead Engineer in the Engineering Lab leveraging an email exploit? Analyze clues, follow the digital trail, and solve the mystery before the cybercriminal escapes!

 

Upcoming Events