Washington state will mark Cybersecurity Awareness Month this October with a focused series of activities designed to help staff strengthen everyday security practices. Led by WaTech’s Office of Privacy and Data Protection, this year’s program emphasizes short, practical learning opportunities that support secure work habits across state government.
Cybersecurity awareness presentations
Kick-off presentation
Oct. 13, 2026: Noon - 1 p.m.
Gwen Gann, State Chief Information Security Officer - WaTech
Bill Kehoe, State Chief Information Officer and WaTech Director
Cybersecurity Awareness Month, launched in 2004 by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance, is an annual campaign held every October.
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CISA Future Talk
Oct. 15, 2026: 1 p.m. - 2 p.m.
RJ Nielson, Cybersecurity State Coordinator - CISA
RJ willshare his insights on CISA’s current portfolio of services, including those planned for retirement, and highlight upcoming pilots that may be of interest to the community.
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The Geography of Deception
Oct. 20, 2026: Noon - 1 p.m.
Joanne Pearson, State Geospatial Information Officer - WaTech
Katy Ruckle, State Chief Privacy Officer - WaTech
Learn how we apply technology and geography in cyber security and beyond. This presentation will look at ways to use geography in detecting fraud and addressing illegal logging. We will also review recent legislation regarding privacy and GIS.
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Click here to view all presentations.
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Events!
Kahoot! Quiz games
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,” Jessie said “If you can't make that, a link will be provided that allows access to the quiz from Wednesday afternoon to the end of day Friday."
October 14, 21, and 28 at noon