Cyber-security highlighted by public-private alliance

NASHVILLE, Oct. 1 (UPI) —

Public and private-sector leaders on Wednesday kicked off a month of nationwide activities and events to promote cyber-security.

National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2014 is a project of the National Cyber Security Alliance, a public-private partnership, and started this year with an event at the National Association of State Chief Information Officers conference in Nashville, Tenn.

"We’re thrilled to kick-off NCSAM 2014 in Nashville this year and are looking forward to an engaging dialogue with some of the nation’s top cyber-security experts," said Michael Kaiser, executive director, NCSA.

"We want to thank Facebook for providing a live stream of the event for the fourth year in row. Streaming the NCSAM launch on Facebook Live will allow us to reach a broader audience than ever before with a clear message to join forces this October and beyond to build a safer, more secure Internet."

Added Joe Sullivan, Facebook’s chief security officer: "Security awareness is one of the most powerful tools available for protecting people’s information in today’s online environment. Connecting people securely is core to what we do at Facebook, and we look forward to seeing what we can achieve this month as a community."

The meeting in Nashville Wednesday featured panel discussions and speakers, including Tennessee State Chief Information Officer Mark Bengel, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and security experts from a number of companies and government agencies.

National Cyber Security Awareness Month is co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in cooperation with the NCSA and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center.