This is historical material, "frozen in time." The web site is no longer updated and links to external web sites and some internal pages will not work.

ETS News Release: OCTOBER IS CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS MONTH IN HAWAII

Posted on Oct 14, 2019 in Latest Department News

Governor recognizes State winners of the national competition, Girls Go CyberStart

HONOLULU — Gov. David Ige has proclaimed October Cybersecurity Awareness Month in Hawaii in recognition of the state’s role in identifying, protecting its citizens from, and responding to cyber threats.  The governor also marked the occasion by recognizing the state’s winners in the Girls Go CyberStart national competition, which is a fun, interactive online program composed of digital challenges aimed at introducing high school girls to cyber security and encouraging them to enter the field.

This year’s state winners are teams from Myron B. Thompson Academy, first place; St. Andrews Schools, second place; and Seabury Hall, third place.  Finalists in the competition are teams from Sacred Hearts Academy, Kapolei High School and Keaau High School.**

“I am so proud of this year’s winners and finalists for representing Hawaii well. The competition results are a testament to the level of talent we have in Hawaii. Our young women have demonstrated that they are competitive on the national level and we must continue to inspire more of Hawai‘i’s youth to explore potential careers in cyber security,” said Gov. David Ige.

The State continues its work on several cyber security initiatives, such as promoting educational opportunities like Girls Go CyberStart and developing a skilled cyber workforce by working with lower and higher education community.  It is also working to enhance the cyber security of critical infrastructure providers.  The State is also continuing its work in improving coordination of county, city, state and federal government cyber security activities, leveraging the Fusion Center’s role in working with private sector partners to improve their cyber security posture,

“With the increasing threat of cyberattacks, cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility. We continuously provide State employees opportunities for cybersecurity training and have implemented best practices that safeguard our infrastructure,” said Vincent Hoang, State Chief Information Security Officer, of the Office of Enterprise Technology Services.

ETS’ partners in the State Department of Defense and the University of Hawaii are also conducting various cyber security activities this month.  For more information, visit https://dod.hawaii.gov/ohs/cyber and https://www.hawaii.edu/infosec/.

To learn more about the State’s cybersecurity program, visit https://ets.hawaii.gov/state-of-hawaii-cyber-security-program/.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month in Hawaii coincides with the national observance, recognized by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (www.dhs.gov/cyber), the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (www.cisecurity.org/ms-isac), and industry partners which collectively encourage all citizens to learn about cybersecurity to put that knowledge into practice in their homes, schools, workplaces, and businesses.

Photo Courtesy:  Office of the Governor : https://www.flickr.com/photos/144304884@N07/albums/72157711339604513

Photo Caption:  1-Governor with the State’s Office of Enterprise Technology Cyber Security Team.

2-Governor with the State’s first place winners of the Girls Go CyberStart, Myron B. Thompson.

3-Governor with some of the State’s winners of the Girls Go CyberStart program.

Video Courtesy:  Hawaii State Public School Charter Commission

Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf0QgR-72X4

 

**Winners and Finalist Ranking

    • 476 girls from 34 Hawaii high schools participated in 2019 Girls Go CyberStart
    • The Hawaii State winner ranked 6th in the nation.
    • Prizes:  1st place = $100 per girl + $100 for the school; 2nd place = $75 per girl + $100 for the school;  3rd place = $50 per girl + $100 for the school
    • 10 Hawaii girls had individual game scores that qualified them for $500 scholarships
    • A total of $8,600 in cash prizes and scholarships were awarded to Hawaii players and their schools.

###

 

Media Contact

Caroline Julian-Freitas

Senior Communications Manager

Office of Enterprise Technology Services

State of Hawaii

www.ets.hawaii.gov

 

Office: (808)586-1866