Hacktober events!
Resources
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month (aka Hacktober). 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 a virtual escape room and online quiz games. 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.
Please make daily visits to this page to sign up for events and learn more about the activities. Also, follow us on Twitter for more cybersecurity tips and information.
"Most security breaches start with human error, such as someone falling victim to a phishing email that downloads malware or tricks people into providing their account credentials. Awareness training can help everyone understand the risks associated with their actions, how to identify cyberattacks and stay safe online," said Bill Kehoe, Washington state's Chief Information Officer. "I strongly encourage all state employees to take part in our Cybersecurity Awareness Month events."'
Cybersecurity awareness presentations
*Microsoft Teams links to the presentations will be posted on the day of the event. All presentations will be recorded and available afterward on this page, along with slide decks. (All participants are automatically entered into a weekly drawing for gift cards)
September 30, Noon - 1 p.m.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month Kickoff
State CIO Bill Kehoe
- Date: Sept. 30
- Time: Noon to 1 p.m. (Pacific)
- Video Recording
- Slide presentation
October 5, Noon - 1 p.m.
Automated Decision-Making
State Privacy Officer Katy Ruckle
Katy, a licensed attorney admitted to the Washington State Bar Association in 2005, was appointed as the Chief Privacy Officer on Jan. 1, 2020, by the state Chief Information Officer. Since her appointment, Katy has published foundational privacy principles for Washington state agencies to incorporate into their data governance practices and increased training on privacy and data protection through monthly webinars. In 2021, she led the Automated Decision-Making Systems workgroup which culminated in a report to the Legislature. Katy previously served as the Privacy Officer and Information Governance Administrator at the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), where she created and implemented the agency's privacy program. She holds certifications from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) in US privacy law (CIPP/US) and privacy program management (CIPM). In addition, she is recognized as a Fellow of Information Privacy by the IAPP.
- Date: Oct. 5
- Time: Noon to 1 p.m. (Pacific)
- Video Recording
- Slide presentation
October 6, Noon - 1 p.m.
Why we should use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) everywhere we can
John Fox, Department of Licensing
- Date: Oct. 6
- Time: Noon to 1 p.m. (Pacific)
- Video Recording
- Slide presentation
October 12, Noon - 1 p.m.
Internet of Things & Industrial Internet of Things
Penny McKenzie, Cybersecurity Engineer at PNNL
Penny is a cybersecurity engineer at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where she is the founder and lead developer of the PNNL IoT Common Operating Environment. Her specialty is Industrial Control Systems, embedded systems, and IoT cybersecurity.
- Date: Oct. 12
- Time: Noon to 1 p.m. (Pacific)
- Video Recording
- Slide presentation
October 13, Noon - 1 p.m.
From Compliance to Risk Awareness: A Security Agility Journey
Stevens Fox, Deputy CISO for Policy & Program Management
- Date: Oct. 13
- Time: Noon to 1 p.m. (Pacific)
- Video Recording
- Slide presentation
October 19, Noon - 1 p.m.
Remote work and the threat of social engineering
Danton Thompson, Department of Health
- Date: Oct. 19
- Time: Noon to 1 p.m. (Pacific)
- Video Recording
- Slide presentation
October 20, 1 - 2 p.m.
How I Can Easily Attack You Through Email and Completely Compromise Your Organization
Roger Grimes, KnowBe4
- Date: Oct. 20
- Time: 1 to 2 p.m. (Pacific)
- Video Recording
- Slide Presentation
October 26, Noon - 1 p.m.
Scammers and scams, just part of our modern lives
Erich Kron, KnowBe4
- Date: Oct. 26
- Time: Noon to 1 p.m. (Pacific)
- Video Recording
- Slide Presentation
Questions? Please contact the Office of Cybersecurity.
Events!
Escape room: Born Secure: Jacob has been selected for a top-secret program that trains new recruits on how to become the world's best cybersecurity operatives. However, first, he must pass a test known by the community as the "Entrance Exam."
- Days: Monday - Friday,
- Time: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
How to reserve a room:
- Click on this signup link.
- A box will pop up asking for your email. Enter your state government email only.
- You will go to the sign-up page. On the calendar, navigate to the day you want to play and then complete the sign-up process.
- Important: Signups are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Each participant must sign up individually. Please coordinate with your team members on a date and time that you want to play, and then sign up as a team individually. If you see that a room already has people signed up who are not on your team, please pick a different time and date. Teams must be a minimum of four players.
* If you run into issues accessing the sign-up page, please check with your IT department to ensure the site is not being blocked.
Participant Tips:
- When you sign up for a session, you will receive a confirmation email with everything you need. Double-check your date and time, and enter gameplay through the video conferencing link in the email. You will also receive a calendar invite to download.
- Need to change your reservation? Go back to your confirmation email to do so.
- Please allow yourself a few extra minutes to sign in and load the escape room.
- Pay close attention to the introduction!
- Don't get too technical. Stay with the team and follow along with one puzzle at a time. Everything you need to solve the puzzles lives in the Evidence Locker or Exam Guide.
- There will be a total of nine sessions each day starting at 8 a.m. and up to eight people can play each game, which generally takes under an hour to complete. We encourage state employees to create teams to compete against each other for the best times. WaTech will maintain a leaderboard and announce the teams with the best times on Nov. 1.
- The escape rooms have a series of questions or puzzles that must be solved to advance through the game. Each player will have the opportunity to take the lead in solving a puzzle while the rest of the players shout out possible solutions. This is a cooperative team-building exercise.
Questions? Please contact Rob Gestewitz at WaTech.
Kahoot! Quiz games
This year, Jessie will also be creating a leaderboard for participants which will be updated weekly on the Kahoot! game page. The state employee with the highest cumulative score (from all the quizzes hosted on Tuesdays) at the end of October will receive a $25 gift card, and bragging rights as the state quiz champ! (All participants are automatically entered into a weekly drawing for gift cards)
- Date: Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25
- Time: Noon to 1 p.m. (Pacific)
- Place: (Join event here)
Play this week's game on your own!