This week, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s (FDLE) Secure Florida initiative celebrated 20 years helping protect Florida’s citizens, employers and governmental entities against cyber-related threats, vulnerabilities and crimes.
Visitors to www.secureflorida.org can learn about a variety of cyber security topics for both businesses and private citizens, such as virus protection, strong passwords, protecting children online, network intrusions, and preparing business continuity plans.
FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass said, “With the real risk of any of us becoming a cybercrime victim, FDLE’s Secure Florida resources are invaluable in helping prevent, detect and report cyber threats and crimes. I urge everyone to visit SecureFlorida.org to get the latest cyber security information to protect yourself and your business.”
The website was launched in 2003 and features the latest in computer security news, foreign cyber threat resources, and featured articles and tip sheets about computer security and safety topics. Secure Florida also provides instructions on reporting cybercrimes, links to related sites, and definitions of computer and cyber terminology.
Florida was the first state to establish a partnership between the government and the private sector to address cyber security issues. The resulting Secure Florida initiative was designed as the education and awareness component of the Florida Infrastructure Protection Center (FIPC), which was created in 2001. Its mission is to provide free training and free resources to local organizations, businesses and citizens throughout Florida on how to protect their computers and information systems from cyber threats.
In its 20 years, Secure Florida has provided more than 200 presentations and trainings for more than 13,000 people from various industries, including local government agencies, school districts, businesses, non-profit organizations, and others.