WHEREAS, the State of Maine Office of Information Technology plays a vital role in identifying, protecting, and responding to evolving cyber threats that can significantly impact the State's information systems and our collective safety, security, and privacy; and

WHEREAS, the rising interconnectedness of our digital world has created new and unforeseen dependencies that make us increasingly vulnerable to cyber-attacks that can cause major disruptions to our daily lives, endanger public safety and health, and carry substantial economic costs; and

WHEREAS, the State of Maine continues to modernize and strengthen its cybersecurity infrastructure with funding through annual budgets, the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan, and federal grants under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act; and

WHEREAS, cybersecurity is a shared responsibility and there are simple measures that you, your family and your business can take to stay safe online, including enabling multifactor authentication, using strong passwords, regularly updating software, and recognizing and reporting phishing; and

WHEREAS, Cybersecurity Awareness Month is recognized by the United States Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers, and the National Cyber Security Alliance; and

WHEREAS, all citizens are encouraged to learn more about cybersecurity and the steps they can take to be safer online at CISA’s cybersecurity awareness program website, www.cisa.gov/secure-our-world, and the National Cyber Security Alliance website, www.staysafeonline.org;

NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved that I, Janet T. Mills, Governor of the State of Maine, do hereby proclaim the month of October 2024 as

Cybersecurity Awareness Month

throughout the State of Maine, and I urge all citizens to take action to protect their security and privacy online.

In testimony whereof, I have caused the Great Seal of the State to be hereunto affixed GIVEN under my hand at Augusta this second day of October Two Thousand Twenty-Four