2023 Cybersecurity
Awareness Month Kit


Staying safe online can be a smooth ride


The Proofpoint 2023 Cybersecurity Awareness Kit is a four-week program that teaches critical web browsing skills so your users are cyber-savvy online.

About this kit.

Every October, Cybersecurity Awareness Month is dedicated to talking with your employees and customers about staying safe, both for themselves and your organization. This year, Proofpoint is delivering a suggested campaign and content early, so you can get ahead with your essential planning.

How to use it.

The kit has a campaign guide, messaging for easy communication, and a cadence for launching the campaign. We curated a selection of free learning resources from our Proofpoint Security Awareness content library. This includes training videos, email templates, virtual backgrounds, and sharable images.

You’ll find descriptions and instructions about how to use the resources in the other tabs on this page.

CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS PROGRAM PLAN


We created the “Web Browsing Road Trip” theme for October’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month. While most online resources offer safe and secure travel, you need to watch for cyber attackers who might steer you down a dark road. Anyone can host a digital presence, including cybercriminals. Together, we’ll explain how to be smart about browsing and social connections for a smooth internet ride.

For those of you who leverage our kit every year, this year's kit for the first time includes a PRE-PLAN stage.
Visit the Pre-Plan tab 1 month before you plan to launch this program and make sure your awareness program is ready to hit the road.


Guest 1a Name

Security Basics: Cloud and Internet

Kick off your program with the basics of browsing safely.

Guest 2a Name

Explain how to detect online scams by looking for common tricks.

Guest3a Name

Web Browsing: A Security Roadmap 

Help users understand their actions are the ultimate safeguard.
Includes bonus module.

Guest 4a Name

The Roadmap
to Safety 

Do a deeper dive into avoiding threats and pitfalls while browsing





PRE-PLAN

One Month Before Launch 

In the month leading up to Cybersecurity Awareness Month, make sure you’re ready to hit the road. 

SUGGESTED PLAN


Host 1 Name
Download the Campaign Guide
  • Review our suggested resources and communications to determine what you will and will not use.
  • Make adjustments to art files as desired.
  • Identify your delivery methods for content and communications (see below).
  • Share your plan with key stakeholders and decision-makers—and course-correct, as needed.
  • Work to get buy-in that’s top-down and cross-functional to amplify the voice of your campaign.
  • Identify your launch date, end date and key milestone dates in between.

Host 1 Name
Create an internal chat
If you haven’t already done so, create an internal chat channel specifically for cybersecurity awareness and training programs. It will provide a quick, easy way to send reminders about program activities and milestone dates.

Host 1 Name
Set up media channels
  • We suggest having one location—such as an internal wiki—for all the user-facing learning resources in the campaign. This will eliminate the need to send all your content via email or chat channels, and will give employees a single place to go to manage most of their assigned activities.
  • Get your content started with the graphics below.
  • We recommend adding the other content with each week’s release.

Host 2 Name
Add this awareness content

Staying safe online can be a smooth ride

The Proofpoint 2023 Cybersecurity Awareness Kit is a four-week program that teaches critical web browsing skills so your users are cyber-savvy online. 

We created the “Web Browsing Road Trip” theme for October’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month. While most online resources offer safe and secure travel, you need to watch for cyber attackers who might steer you down a dark road. Anyone can host a digital presence, including cybercriminals. Together, we’ll explain how to be smart about browsing and social connections for a smooth internet ride.


WEEK 1

Security Basics: Cloud and Internet 

In Week 1, launch your program. Kick off Cybersecurity Awareness Month with a training video that explains the basics of browsing safely.

In your kickoff meeting, add flair with use one of our virtual backgrounds to set the theme. Tell attendees to expect weekly emails with links to the Web Browsing Road Trip material.

SUGGESTED PLAN


Host 1 Name
Send Email 1

Send a communication via email or internal chat channel using the following text (modify as needed).

Subject line: Let’s hit the road
Our first awareness tool is the Security Basics: Cloud and Internet Security animated module. Technical safeguards can’t always save us, so it’s important to acknowledge our role in using online resources safely.

Access the video at the following link at your earliest convenience. You’ll need to watch it to get the most out of the rest of the materials we’ll share this week.

Host 2 Name
Use this awareness content

Security Basics: Cloud and Internet Security animated video—download module




Staying safe online can be a smooth ride

The Proofpoint 2023 Cybersecurity Awareness Kit is a four-week program that teaches critical web browsing skills so your users are cyber-savvy online. 

We created the “Web Browsing Road Trip” theme for October’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month. While most online resources offer safe and secure travel, you need to watch for cyber attackers who might steer you down a dark road. Anyone can host a digital presence, including cybercriminals. Together, we’ll explain how to be smart about browsing and social connections for a smooth internet ride.


WEEK 2

Safer Browsing in 5 Simple Steps 

In Week 2, encourage participation. Continue Cybersecurity Awareness Month with an article that explains how to detect online scams by looking for common tricks, such as promises of free content and prompts to run or download software.

SUGGESTED PLAN


Host 1 Name
Send Email 2

Send a communication via email or internal chat channel using the following text (modify as needed).

Subject line: Have you made it to your first destination?
By now, you should have watched the Security Basics: Cloud and Internet Security awareness video we shared last week. (If you haven’t, please do that today.)

Host 2 Name
Use this awareness content

Safer Web Browsing in 5 Simple Steps article—download article



Staying safe online can be a smooth ride

The Proofpoint 2023 Cybersecurity Awareness Kit is a four-week program that teaches critical web browsing skills so your users are cyber-savvy online. 

We created the “Web Browsing Road Trip” theme for October’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month. While most online resources offer safe and secure travel, you need to watch for cyber attackers who might steer you down a dark road. Anyone can host a digital presence, including cybercriminals. Together, we’ll explain how to be smart about browsing and social connections for a smooth internet ride.


WEEK 3

Web Browsing: A Security Roadmap 

In Week 3, applaud participation. This week you can offer a training video that explains best practices for safer browsing, and recognizing how a person’s actions can influence online safety.

SUGGESTED PLAN


Host 1 Name
Send Email 3

Send a communication via email or internal chat channel using the following text (modify as needed).

Subject line: We’re halfway there
Congratulations to all those who have been cruising along and taking advantage of the Web Browsing Road Trip materials.

We’ve added a new resource to <our internal wiki [insert link]>: the Web Browsing: A Security Roadmap animated video module. This training will help you recall best practices for safer web browsing and recognize how your actions can influence online safety.

Host 2 Name
Use this awareness content

Web Browsing: A Security Roadmap animated video—download module


Host 2 Name
Use this bonus content 

AI Chatbot Threats
Also in Week 3, you can add a bonus training video. In one minute, this video explains how AI chatbots work, what the associated risks are and why protected data should never be shared with a chatbot. The module is part of the Proofpoint "60 Seconds to Better Security" series, an essential resource that keeps companies informed and armed against recent threat trends.

60 Seconds to Better Security: AI Chatbot Threats animated video—download module


Staying safe online can be a smooth ride

The Proofpoint 2023 Cybersecurity Awareness Kit is a four-week program that teaches critical web browsing skills so your users are cyber-savvy online. 

We created the “Web Browsing Road Trip” theme for October’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month. While most online resources offer safe and secure travel, you need to watch for cyber attackers who might steer you down a dark road. Anyone can host a digital presence, including cybercriminals. Together, we’ll explain how to be smart about browsing and social connections for a smooth internet ride.


WEEK 4

The Roadmap to Safety

It’s Week 4—time to wrap up the program. End Cybersecurity Awareness Month with an infographic that does a deeper dive into avoiding threats and pitfalls while browsing. Early in this final week, send a communication to remind employees to complete all activities, along with an invitation to participate in a virtual wrap-up meeting.

During the wrap-up meeting, use one of the themed virtual backgrounds. If possible, open the discussion to important points such as the following:

  • What participants liked—and didn’t like—about the campaign
  • Things learned that weren’t known before
  • Topics that people would like to learn more about
SUGGESTED PLAN


Host 1 Name
Send Email 4

Send a communication via email or internal chat channel using the following text (modify as needed).

Subject line: Arrived at Destination
We hope you’ve been taking advantage of the “Web Browsing Road Trip” resources we’ve been sharing with you over the past few weeks. To conclude, we’ve added The Roadmap to Safety infographic to <our internal wiki [insert link]>.

I’d also like to invite you to a virtual wrap-up meeting, where we’ll discuss some success stories related to this campaign, honor our participants, and solicit your comments and feedback.

If you have any questions or have any feedback, please reach out to me at {insert email address here}.

Host 2 Name
Use this awareness content

The Roadmap to Safety infographic—download graphic



Want even more impact

This Cybersecurity Awareness Month Kit is part of a larger Web Browsing Road Trip Campaign that is exclusively available to Proofpoint customers. The full campaign builds on the content in this kit, giving you a packed month of communication tools and awareness content that encourage active participation. Proofpoint customers have access to extensive essential resources such as:

  • Campaign guide that expands this document plan
  • Additional modules that dive deeper
  • Postcard to encourage participation
  • Activity tracker to help users record activities
  • Badges that can be sent to users
  • Incentive items that reward participation
  • Shareable content as reminders throughout the campaign