Bureau of Diplomatic Security Promotes Cyber Security Awareness Month

The Bureau of Diplomatic Security’s Cyber Security Awareness Month culminates on June 29, 2005 with a cyber security awareness fair that will bring together presenters, guest speakers, and over 30 vendors displaying awareness materials. The fair, which opens at 10 a.m. and continues until 3 p.m., provides a unique opportunity to network with Government and industry-related officials in the field of cyber security.

The keynote speaker, Jane Scott Norris, the Chief Information Security Officer of the Department of State, will speak at 11 a.m. in the Exhibit Hall on "The Future of Cyber Security Awareness at State." This event is open to the press.

The fair will also include three teaching laboratories, offered by the National Defense University, that will provide hands-on training in preventing hacking (10:15 a.m.), biometrics (11:30 a.m.), and wireless technologies (12:30 p.m.). These laboratories will be conducted in the State Department courtyard adjacent to the Exhibit Hall and will also be open for press coverage. Each laboratory is approximately 45 minutes long.

Cyber Security Awareness Month is sponsored by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security in conjunction with the Office of Information Assurance of the Bureau of Information Resource Management. The month-long campaign uses a variety of promotional and educational events to inform Department of State computer users about security threats, vulnerabilities and security issues related to the Department’s information networks. More than 550 employees have already attended at least one of the cyber security awareness events.

Interested media should contact Jessica Goldings on 571-345-2561, or by emailing GoldingsJL@state.gov.

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