CISA kicks off Cybersecurity Awareness Month with ‘Securing the Next 250’ theme

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) launched its annual Cybersecurity Awareness Month campaign on Oct. 1 with a new theme, “Securing the Next 250,” a nod to the nation’s approaching semiquincentennial and a call for stronger defenses across critical infrastructure. The agency updated its website with guidance, tips, and a downloadable toolkit aimed at businesses and government entities.

“Whenever critical infrastructure is disrupted, so are the businesses and communities that depend on vital services,” said Acting CISA Director Nick Andersen. “That’s why CISA is prioritizing the security and resilience of critical infrastructure, and state, local, tribal, and territorial government (SLTT), whose systems and services sustain us every day. This includes things like clean water, secure transportation, quality healthcare, secure financial transactions, rapid communications, and more. However great or small—every organization that touches critical infrastructure is vital to ensuring uninterrupted services to America’s communities.”

CISA’s message this year centers on practical steps owners and operators can adopt immediately. The agency urges organizations to train staff to spot and report phishing, enforce long, unique passwords, turn on multifactor authentication, and keep software current to close known vulnerabilities.

Beyond the basics, the guidance presses organizations to log activity to detect intrusions, regularly back up critical data in line with recovery goals, and encrypt devices and files to blunt the impact of breaches. For government entities, CISA highlights the added protections of a .gov domain. The agency also calls on organizations to report incidents to CISA, maintain and frequently exercise incident response plans that involve leadership and legal teams, and prepare for continuity of essential functions even if key systems—or the internet—are unavailable.

CISA is also promoting the “3Rs of Cybersecurity” for critical infrastructure operators: reduce attack surfaces by prioritizing risk-based updates, replace equipment that’s no longer supported, and recover quickly to sustain operations after an incident.

The campaign arrives amid persistent nation-state activity and increasingly sophisticated tools that are reshaping both cyber threats and defenses. In recent years, ransomware and disruptive intrusions have hit hospitals, pipelines, municipalities, and water utilities, underscoring the real-world stakes of digital risk.

CISA’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month resources, including the 2026 toolkit, are available on the agency’s website. The guidance emphasizes that strengthening cyber resilience is a shared responsibility—spanning executives, public officials, and frontline employees—and that consistent, foundational practices remain the most reliable defense against evolving threats.