DHS wants your ideas for cybersecurity awareness campaign

The Homeland Security Department wants ideas from people outside the department on how to bolster public awareness about cybersecurity.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced on March 3 a public competition for ideas on how to best engage the public on discussions about computer security, She announced the program, named the National Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign Challenge Competition, at the RSA Conference in San Francisco.

DHS said key areas for the program include:

• Teamwork.
• Ability to quantify a distribution method and receipt of a message.
• Using Web 2.0 technology.
• A feedback mechanism.
• Privacy protection.
• Repeatability.
• Transparency.

Winners of the competition will be invited to an event in Washington in May or June and will work with DHS to plan a national cybersecurity awareness program to be ready to start in October. Proposals are due April 30.