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Since 2004, the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) has been a national advocate for awareness and education efforts surrounding online threats and cybersecurity safety through tentpole initiatives like Cybersecurity Awareness Month and Data Privacy Week. Now, the organization is collaborating with Amazon to amplify that message through a cybersecurity awareness campaign launching today. The public service announcement (PSA) initiative, “Protect & Connect.”
Phishing scams and other online cyberattacks are on the rise. With more people working remotely, organizations and consumers are more digitally connected than ever. Scam emails and other types of online fraud put people’s information at risk. However, as the frequency of cyberattacks has increased, research shows that consumer concerns around internet security fell between 2019 and 2020, demonstrating a growing sense of apathy. But there are simple steps that all consumers can take to protect themselves and their digital identities – no security expertise required.
“Moving the needle on cybersecurity awareness requires a collective approach. Businesses, non-profits, and governments all have a role to play in helping to up-level preparedness for cyber threats,” said Lisa Plaggemier, NCA’s Executive Director. “It’s particularly exciting for a company like Amazon to get involved in this effort, given the company’s exceptional reach and deep understanding of consumer audiences. We’re proud to be a part of this campaign and to share it with our constituents as well.”
The timing of Amazon’s collaboration with NCA will help elevate both companies’ commitments to better cybersecurity education ahead of this year’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which will champion the consumer’s role in cyber safety while demystifying the keys to staying safe online. Amazon leveraged the creative power of the Prime Video team to conceptualize the PSA and connect with top talent to bring the message of personal agency to life.
“Empowering people with the knowledge and tools to operate safely online can help them protect their own personal information while combating cyber threats of all kinds,” said Steve Schmidt, Amazon’s Chief Security Officer. “Our goal is to give people simple, concrete steps to take, like enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA), that have meaningful security impact despite the complex security threats that exist.”
In addition to PSA, the campaign includes a microsite for consumers, protectconnect.com, that includes additional videos for visitors to learn more about MFA and how to identify and avoid phishing attempts, as well as interactive content to test consumers’ knowledge on best practices for keeping safe online.
“Security is our top priority at Amazon,” said Jenny Brinkley, a Director in Amazon Security focused on security awareness and NCA board of directors member. “Every day we are working to educate and empower our teams at Amazon to operate with security at the forefront of everything we do. Our mission doesn’t stop there. We want to make security easier for everyone and we are excited to partner with NCA on this campaign to make cybersecurity awareness relevant and accessible for everyone.”
The PSA campaign is a follow-up to the commitment that Amazon CEO Andy Jassy made at last year’s White House Cyber Summit to help improve the nation’s cybersecurity by releasing Amazon’s Cybersecurity Awareness Training free to individuals and businesses around the world and providing free MFA security keys to eligible AWS customers.
