Don't Make it Easy for Them
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a global effort to help everyone stay safe and protected when using technology whenever and however you connect. This year’s focus is how to Make Life Difficult for Cybercriminals. There are five simple strategies that anyone can implement to Stay Safe Online:
- Use strong, long, unique passwords
- Create and store passwords with a password manager
- Enable MFA
- Scrutinize all in-bound messages, especially if they are unexpected and urgent
- Keep software and devices updated
Throughout the month of October, the Information Security Office (ISO) will be hosting both in-person and online events at Texas State University to engage, entertain, and encourage better digital security. Full schedule below.
2026 Cybersecurity Awareness Month Events
Privacy Isn’t Dead, You’ve Just Got to Fight For it
Date: Wednesday, October 7th
Time: 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM CST
Location: Alkek Library, Room 240 - Open Theater
Our digital lives are watched more closely than most of us realize. What feels like every day browsing, shopping, and scrolling is often part of a constant process of data collection and behavioral tracking. This lunch-and-learn event cuts through the jargon to show how surveillance operates in the United States today, who benefits from it, and what steps we can take to resist being treated as products rather than people.
Areas of Discussion:
- The 2026 Surveillance Ecosystem
- The Illusion of Consent
- Practical Defense and Digital Hygiene
Who Should Attend: All students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to learn how to narrow their digital footprint and secure their online presence.
Texas State University System Capture the Flag Online Hack-a-thon
Date: Monday, October 12th
Time: 12:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Location: LBJSC Room 111
Test your cyber-sleuthing skills during Capture the Flag 2026. Individuals or teams can register to compete against their peers at Texas State and our sister institutions in the Texas State University System.
What You’ll Do:
- Register yourself or your team before October 12th
- Complete various challenges and tasks in the forms of flags; the more you complete correctly, the more points you earn
- Placing in the top three individuals or teams earns bragging rights and an EC Council scholarship for cybersecurity certification courses
Who Should Attend: Students studying Information Systems and Analytics, Computer Science, and other related fields are highly encouraged to attend. All other cybersecurity enthusiasts are welcome, too!
Step up to the challenge and vie for greatness.
Don't Make it Easy for Them: How to Make Life Difficult for Cybercriminals
Date: Wednesday, October 21st
Time: 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM CST
Location: Alkek Library, Room 240 - Open Theater
Dissect each of the five strategies to Stay Safe Online and learn why they are tried-and-true cybersecurity methods.
What We’ll Discuss:
- Crafting strong passwords and how to securely store them
- Why MFA is mandatory at Texas State
- How to spot a phishing email
- The software update checklist
Who should attend: All faculty, staff, and students are welcome to attend this lunch-and-learn style event.
Cyber-trick or Treat Trivia
Date: Wednesday, October 28th
Time: 11 AM – 1 PM
Location: The Quad near Evans Liberal Arts Building
Test your knowledge of cybersecurity concepts, university history, and Halloween trivia! Visit the Information Security Office in the quad and win a treat if our questions don’t trick you first.
What to expect:
- 50 trivia questions ranging from cybersecurity-related topics to TXST and Halloween trivia
- Prizes for security smarties and trivia troubadours
- Snacks and beverages to keep brains fueled
Who should attend: Faculty, staff, students, and the public can test their trivia knowledge. Prizes are available on a first-come, first-win basis.
Think Before you Prompt: Cybersecurity in the Age of AI
Date: Wednesday, October 28th
Time: 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM CST
Location: Alkek Library, Room 240 - Open Theater
Texas State is proud to be an AI-forward university. Learn how to wield this power responsibly and securely.
What We’ll Discuss:
- The importance and security of data being used as input
- What does it mean when AI is training itself on your data
- AI hallucinations
- AI autonomous decision making
- AI-generated code
- AI and Phishing
- Security AI guidelines
Who should attend: Faculty, staff, students, and the public interested in learning more about securing their data in the world of AI.