The 3rd edition of the National Cybersecurity Week 2023 is being conducted as a part of the Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which is designated in October by many countries across the world. To raise awareness and build capacity in cybersecurity, Capture the Flag Challenge was conducted in three colleges: Gyalposhing College of IT, College of Science & Technology and Jigme Namgyel Engineering College from 16-17 October. CyberHygiene awareness, Cyber Safety program for women and children by Promptech India was also conducted at GovTech and Royal Thimphu College previously. In addition, various daily social media updates on Cyber Hygiene has been posted since the start of the month.
The closing Cybersecurity Week program, themed “Trust in the Digital Age” began on 23rd October with the Cybersecurity Hygiene Practice Survey and Awareness program with the support of 10 Desuups volunteers surveying users at five different sites in Thimphu. Beginning today, two technical workshops on Network Security and Domain Name Abuse for ICT professionals from various government, corporate, and private sector organizations were started and will run for two days (25-26 October). The objective is for participants to understand the need for web and network security, and the threats related to domain name abuse. A penultimate conference will also be held on 27th October, which aims to bring together all the stakeholders; to share and discuss innovative and collaborative synergies to combat cybersecurity threats within Bhutan.
Cybersecurity awareness is paramount, as the internet has no boundaries and there are many motivated individuals who exploit this to their advantage. Cybercriminals all over the world use phishing emails, text messages, and phone calls to trick people into giving them access to valuable systems, sensitive data, and money. Bhutan’s citizens are not immune to such threats, and, in addition to the lack of awareness among the citizenry, there is also an acute shortage of cyber talent.
To address these challenges, various events and workshops targeting users, organizations, students, and IT professionals were organized this month, with the Cybersecurity Week being the last program. These programs are focused on addressing the “people problem” by building the capacity of users to be aware of threats and know how to protect themselves, and for IT professionals to learn how to defend networks and systems in their respective organizations.
For the detailed agenda of programs: click here
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