As residents of North Carolina continue to recover from Hurricane Helene, Governor Roy Cooper is addressing another threat quietly emerging amidst the chaos—cybercrime. Declaring October Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Cooper emphasizes the importance of protecting online information, especially as vulnerabilities can be easily exploited by opportunistic scammers. According to the North Carolina Office of the Governor, "Every North Carolinian must remain vigilant about staying safe online and protecting their personal information."
North Carolina officials are urging the public to closely review online messages related to the hurricane. Jim Weaver, Secretary of the N.C. Department of Information Technology and State Chief Information Officer, commended efforts to enhance cyber safety, stating, "We are committed to ensuring that everyone can access the internet safely and guard against cyberthreats, which can happen to anyone at any time," as mentioned by the North Carolina Office of the Governor.
The N.C. Department of Information Technology has shared key actions residents can take. These include recognizing phishing attempts, avoiding sharing personal information online, using long and unique passwords, enabling multifactor authentication, and keeping software updated. Residents are advised to delete suspicious messages without clicking any links or attachments and to verify contacts independently. Throughout the month, practical tips on cybersecurity are shared on social media using the hashtags #SecureOurWorld and #CyberSecureNC to spread the message of digital vigilance, as stated by the North Carolina Office of the Governor.
The N.C. Department of Information Technology Division of Broadband and Digital Equity has launched grant programs that have awarded $44 million so far to improve internet access and affordability. These digital defense efforts align with the state's goal of helping all North Carolinians succeed online. While the division works to close the digital divide, it also takes on the responsibility of protecting against cyber threats across a diverse population, as per the North Carolina Office of the Governor.
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