WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Virginia plays a vital role in identifying, mitigating, protecting its residents from, and responding to cybersecurity threats that may significantly impact our individual and collective safety and privacy; and

WHEREAS, the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia has placed a priority on building a comprehensive cyber ecosystem across all levels of government to raise awareness of risks and strengthen the collective protections where necessary; and

WHEREAS, cybersecurity plays a critical role in the advancement of technology in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, quantum computing, and other emerging technologies across the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, Virginia has emerged as a national leader in the rapidly evolving cybersecurity industry and continues to be at the forefront of workforce development in K-12, community colleges, and universities across the state; and

WHEREAS, Virginia can attract more students into cyber careers by showcasing the need to inspire, engage, and inform the public about the demand, opportunities, and career options available; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth is building its cybersecurity workforce and promoting economic prosperity by attracting new companies, investments, and creating hundreds of new jobs in the cybersecurity field; and

WHEREAS, cybersecurity education and awareness are crucial for every Virginian and vital to the daily operations of small businesses, financial institutions, schools, government agencies, corporations, and residents who connect to internet services; and

WHEREAS, people and organizations should take actions to protect themselves online, including monitoring accounts, being conscientious of what they share, keeping computer software up to date, creating strong passwords and using a password manager or key, installing antivirus programs and firewalls, and enabling multifactor authentication for online accounts; and

WHEREAS, Virginia is committed to empowering future generations of cybersecurity professionals by promoting and advocating for educational programs, and internships, in the Commonwealth and beyond; and

WHEREAS, the month of October is recognized nationally as Cybersecurity Awareness Month to raise the profile of the industry as a career of choice and share the importance of cyber protections;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize October 2024, as CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS MONTH in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.