2026
CYBERSECURITY
Awareness Month
#thinksecure
Week 1 - Lock Your Doors
Your digital life is a gateway to your world. Learn best practices that help keep attackers at bay.
Week 2 - Use the Deadbolt
Strong passwords are important, but MFA adds another layer of defense. Learn how MFA works.
Week 3 - Know Who’s Knocking
Learn how to identify cyber attacks and warning signs before taking action.
Week 4 - Be a Good Digital Neighbor
Following good security practices helps to protect the whole community.
Welcome to Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Each year, Queens College, CUNY, proudly joins the global Cybersecurity initiative to empower our community with knowledge and tools to stay safe online.
For 2026, our theme is “The Digital Neighborhood.” Every day, we use simple habits to protect ourselves and our neighborhoods. We lock our doors, keep track of our keys, check who’s at the door before opening it, and speak up when something doesn’t seem right. Our digital lives work the same way.
Each week in October, our Information Security team will conduct virtual sessions, sharing information and tips from leading Cybersecurity organizations, such as the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA), and the Center for Internet Security (CIS).
Actions we take every day can make a meaningful difference in protecting your personal information, institutional data, and the broader college community. Whether you’re a student, faculty member, or staff member, you play an important role in keeping our Digital Neighborhood safe.
Facts & Figures:
The National Cybersecurity Alliance 2021-2025 Oh, Behave! report lists the following cybersecurity survey responses:
Awareness is rising, but behaviors have not kept up
- Awareness of multi-factor authentication (MFA) rose from 52% in 2021 to 77% in 2025
- Regular MFA use fell to just 53% after peaking in 2022
- People care about security, but struggle to turn the intent into consistent behavior
Human constraints are the primary barrier
- Worry about cybercrime has climbed from 57% of respondents in 2022 to 68% in 2025
- 31% of participants now believe losing money online is unavoidable, up from 25% in 2022
Cybercrime is becoming normalized
- In 2025, phishing accounted for 40% of reported incidents
- Cyberbullying victimization rose from 13% in 2022 to 23% in 2025; reporting rates have surged from 52% in 2022 to 88% by 2025.
🔐 Week 1 - Lock Your Doors
Just as you wouldn’t leave your front door unlocked, you shouldn’t leave your online accounts vulnerable. In this video, we discuss how strong passwords, password managers, and good account security habits help to keep attackers out.
Watch Week 1: Lock Your Doors - Protect Your Accounts with Strong Passwords
In the physical world, locking your doors is one of the simplest ways to protect your home.
Online, your passwords serve the same purpose.
Passwords remain one of the first lines of defense against unauthorized access to your accounts. Yet many cyberattacks succeed because of weak passwords, password reuse, or credentials exposed in previous data breaches.
This week, we explore how strong password habits can help protect both your personal information and institutional accounts.
🌐 Week 2 - Use the Deadbolt
A strong password is important, but MFA adds another layer of defense. In this video, we discuss how MFA works, how to recognize MFA fatigue attacks, and why you should never approve an authentication request you didn’t initiate.
Week 2: Use the Deadbolt: Add an extra layer of protection with Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
You lock your door to keep unwanted visitors out. But many people also use a deadbolt for added protection.
The same principle applies to your online accounts.
A strong password is an important first line of defense, but attackers can steal, guess, or expose passwords through data breaches. That’s why Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is one of the most effective ways to protect your accounts. Even if an attacker obtains your password, MFA can help stop them from getting in. 
🌐 Week 3 - Know Who’s Knocking
Cybercriminals don’t just use email anymore. In this video, we discuss phishing attempts delivered through email, text messages, QR codes, phone calls, social media, and AI-powered scams, and how to spot the warning signs before you act.
Week 3: Know Who's Knocking - Recognizing phishing, scams, and impersonation attempts
When someone comes to your door, you probably don’t open it without checking who is there first. The same caution is important in the digital world.
Cybercriminals are constantly looking for ways to trick people into revealing information, clicking malicious links, approving fraudulent requests, or downloading harmful files. Today’s scams are more sophisticated than ever and can arrive through email, text messages, collaboration platforms, social media, phone calls, and even QR codes.
This week, we’ll explore how to recognize phishing attempts, verify requests, and avoid becoming the victim of an increasingly convincing scam.
What You’ll Learn
- Why phishing is no longer limited to email
- How scammers use text messages, Teams chats, social media, QR codes, and phone calls to target victims
- How to examine emails, links, and fake login pages before you click
- Requests for passwords, MFA codes, gift cards, banking information, or other sensitive data
- Why reporting phishing attempts helps protect others, even if you did not fall for the scam
🌐 Week 4 - Be a Good Digital Neighbor
Week 4: Be a Good Digital Neighbor: Help in keeping our campus community secure
In the digital world, that means taking steps to protect not only yourself but also your coworkers, classmates, and the broader campus community. Cybersecurity is not just the responsibility of IT or Information Security. Everyone plays an important role in helping keep our Digital Neighborhood safe.
This week, we’ll explore simple actions you can take to reduce risk, protect sensitive information, and help others stay secure.
What You’ll Learn
- Why cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility, not just the IT or Security team
- How reporting suspicious activity quickly can help protect others
- Why security updates matter and how they help address newly discovered vulnerabilities
- Why restarting devices after updates is sometimes necessary
- Avoiding unknown USB devices and suspicious software downloads
- Reviewing application permissions before granting access to your account
- Staying cautious when using public Wi-Fi networks
Additional Resources & Tips:
In response to a NCA survey:
Securely Brewed Podcast
A podcast that blends cybersecurity insights with real-world stories, friendly banter, and a dash of humor. As cybercriminal tactics grow more sophisticated, we’re here to share practical strategies that are easy to digest and implement. [Full Playlist]
