Delaware News

Governor’s Weekly Message Transcript: Protecting Our Economy by Promoting Online Safety

Former Governor Jack Markell (2009-2017) | News | Date Posted: Friday, October 16, 2015



The Internet has transformed every aspect of our society, creating tremendous new opportunities for our people, fueling economic growth, and providing a wonderful resource for our students. But the growing importance of online activity also means we must increase our focus on safety and security. It’s why we’ve recognized October as Cyber Security Awareness Month for our state.

It’s an effort to bring together government and industry to ensure we all use safe practices online. In Delaware, we face millions of cyber threats each day—hackers trying to pry into our system to gain access to personal information about our residents, businesses’ intellectual property, and other sensitive data. And our most critical infrastructure, from the power grid to our hospitals’ record-keeping systems rely on secure networks. The FBI ranks cybercrime as one of the top threats to U.S. national security. This month is an opportunity to remind each other that the most effective cybersecurity steps can often be the simplest, like using strong passwords and avoiding flash drives when you are unsure about their contents.

Our youth are also vulnerable to another type of cyber threat. Earlier this month we visited with 300 fourth grade students, teachers and staff at Lake Forest Central Elementary school to emphasize the importance of protecting our youth against cyberbullying and online predators. Our Department of Technology and Information is providing education and awareness materials to meet the needs of all Delawareans from students to seniors to small businesses. And I encourage you to visit digiknow.delaware.gov to learn more. By recognizing that we all have a vital role in identifying, protecting, and responding to cyber threats, we can promote security and privacy, protect our economy, and make our children safer. And that will keep Delaware moving forward.

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Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.

Governor’s Weekly Message Transcript: Protecting Our Economy by Promoting Online Safety

Former Governor Jack Markell (2009-2017) | News | Date Posted: Friday, October 16, 2015



The Internet has transformed every aspect of our society, creating tremendous new opportunities for our people, fueling economic growth, and providing a wonderful resource for our students. But the growing importance of online activity also means we must increase our focus on safety and security. It’s why we’ve recognized October as Cyber Security Awareness Month for our state.

It’s an effort to bring together government and industry to ensure we all use safe practices online. In Delaware, we face millions of cyber threats each day—hackers trying to pry into our system to gain access to personal information about our residents, businesses’ intellectual property, and other sensitive data. And our most critical infrastructure, from the power grid to our hospitals’ record-keeping systems rely on secure networks. The FBI ranks cybercrime as one of the top threats to U.S. national security. This month is an opportunity to remind each other that the most effective cybersecurity steps can often be the simplest, like using strong passwords and avoiding flash drives when you are unsure about their contents.

Our youth are also vulnerable to another type of cyber threat. Earlier this month we visited with 300 fourth grade students, teachers and staff at Lake Forest Central Elementary school to emphasize the importance of protecting our youth against cyberbullying and online predators. Our Department of Technology and Information is providing education and awareness materials to meet the needs of all Delawareans from students to seniors to small businesses. And I encourage you to visit digiknow.delaware.gov to learn more. By recognizing that we all have a vital role in identifying, protecting, and responding to cyber threats, we can promote security and privacy, protect our economy, and make our children safer. And that will keep Delaware moving forward.

image_printPrint


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.