Office of Enterprise Technology Services

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.

**Girls Go CyberStart by the numbers:

• 476 girls from 34 Hawaii high schools participated in 2019 Girls Go CyberStart
• The Hawaii State winner ranked 6^th 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.