EASTERN EUROPE 2025

Cybersecurity Awareness Month

1️⃣ Government / Regional

ENISA (European Union Agency for Cybersecurity)

  • Campaign: European Cybersecurity Month (ECSM) (official EU-wide campaign, every October).
  • 2025 Theme: “Think Before You Click – AI & Cyber Resilience”.
  • Role in EU Eastern Europe: Provides framework, toolkits, and coordination for national campaigns in EU member states within Eastern Europe.
  • 🔗 Cybersecuritymonth.eu
  • 📩 press@enisa.europa.eu

National Governments (EU Member States in Eastern Europe):

  • Poland – NASK (National Research Institute):
    • Campaign: Miesiąc Cyberbezpieczeństwa (Cybersecurity Month).
    • 2025 Plan: Focus on critical infrastructure protection, SME awareness, and combating disinformation. Strong alignment with ENISA.
    • 🔗 nask.pl
    • 📩 kontakt@nask.pl
  • Czech Republic – NÚKIB (National Cyber and Information Security Agency):
    • Campaign: Měsíc kybernetické bezpečnosti.
    • 2025 Plan: Emphasis on secure digital identity, government services, and public awareness of advanced threats.
    • 🔗 nukib.cz
    • 📩 info@nukib.cz
  • Romania – DNSC (National Cyber Security Directorate):
    • Campaign: Luna Europeană a Securității Cibernetice.
    • 2025 Plan: Focus on protecting critical national infrastructure, combating cybercrime, and digital literacy for citizens.
    • 🔗 dnsc.ro
    • 📩 contact@dnsc.ro
  • Hungary – NCSC (National Cyber Security Center):
    • Campaign: Kiberbiztonsági Tudatosság Hónapja.
    • 2025 Plan: Public awareness on phishing, data protection, and secure online transactions.
    • 🔗 ncsc.gov.hu
  • Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania):
    • Campaigns: Each country runs its own October awareness campaigns, heavily integrated with ENISA and NATO cyber defense initiatives.
    • 2025 Plan: Focus on national resilience, critical infrastructure, and countering state-sponsored threats.
    • 🔗 Estonia: ria.ee (Information System Authority)
    • 🔗 Latvia: cert.lv
    • 🔗 Lithuania: nksc.lt

Russia – Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media (Mintsifry) & FSB/FSTEC

  • Campaigns: Russia runs its own “Неделя кибербезопасности” (National Cybersecurity Week) and various Digital Security Summits. While not explicitly “October Cybersecurity Month,” awareness campaigns are ongoing and often intensified in autumn.
  • 2025 Plan: Heavy emphasis on digital sovereignty, import substitution (replacing foreign tech), and protection against “external threats.” Campaigns focus on national security, critical information infrastructure, and citizen digital literacy within a state-controlled framework.
  • 🔗 digital.gov.ru (Mintsifry)
  • 🔗 fstec.ru (Federal Service for Technical and Export Control)

2️⃣ Educational / Semi-Government

  • Warsaw University of Technology (Poland): Runs ECSM-linked seminars and workshops, often with NASK.
  • Czech Technical University in Prague (Czech Republic): Active in public awareness campaigns and student hackathons during October.
  • University of Bucharest (Romania): Hosts cybersecurity conferences and student competitions, often with DNSC.
  • Tallinn University of Technology (Estonia): A key player in cyber education, runs October cyber-resilience events and public lectures.
  • Vilnius University (Lithuania): Participates in national awareness campaigns, focusing on digital literacy.
  • Moscow State University (Russia):
    • Runs cybersecurity courses and participates in national digital security forums. Awareness activities are aligned with state directives.
  • Bauman Moscow State Technical University (Russia):
    • Key institution for cybersecurity education, involved in state-sponsored research and awareness events.

3️⃣ Big Tech (Regional Operations)

  • Microsoft CEE (Central & Eastern Europe): Runs localized Cybersecurity Month webinars and resources, often partnering with national governments (primarily in EU Eastern Europe).
  • Google CEE: Promotes “Be Internet Awesome” and online safety campaigns in schools across the region during October (primarily in EU Eastern Europe).
  • Cisco CEE: Provides security workshops and reports, often collaborating with national CERTs and universities (primarily in EU Eastern Europe).
  • ESET (Slovakia-based, strong CEE presence): A major regional player, runs extensive October awareness campaigns, free tools, and educational content.
  • Local Telecoms (e.g., Orange Polska, T-Mobile Czech Republic, Telekom Romania): Partner with national campaigns, run SMS alerts, and offer customer security advice during October.
  • Russian Tech Companies (e.g., Kaspersky, Sberbank, Rostelecom):
    • Kaspersky (HQ in Moscow): Runs global and localized awareness campaigns, often with free tools and educational content, including in Russia.
    • Sberbank (Russia’s largest bank): Runs extensive financial cybersecurity awareness campaigns for its customers.
    • Rostelecom (Russia’s national telecom): Involved in state-backed digital literacy and cybersecurity initiatives.

4️⃣ Private / Independent (Non–Big Tech)

  • ISACA Eastern Europe Chapters (Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Hungary):
    • Very active in organizing professional events, webinars, and training sessions during October.
  • (ISC)² CEE: Offers free webinars and resources for cybersecurity professionals and students, aligning with ECSM.
  • ECSO (European Cyber Security Organisation): While broader European, its initiatives and working groups include strong participation from Eastern European firms and experts, contributing to ECSM.
  • Local Cybersecurity Consultancies/Firms: Many smaller, local firms (e.g., in Poland, Czechia) run their own October awareness campaigns, often targeting SMEs with practical advice.
  • Digital Rights NGOs: Organizations like Panoptykon Foundation (Poland) or Iuridicum Remedium (Czech Republic) sometimes tie their digital rights and privacy campaigns into the broader October cybersecurity themes.
  • Russia – Limited Independent Space:
    • Truly independent civil society or private initiatives (non-state-aligned) are extremely limited in Russia due to strict regulatory environments and state control over information. Most “private” awareness efforts are either from large state-affiliated corporations (like Sberbank) or cybersecurity vendors (like Kaspersky) that operate within the state’s framework.

✅ Summary (Eastern Europe 2025, including Russia):

  • Government/Regional: EU Eastern Europe is heavily integrated with ENISA’s ECSM. Russia operates its own distinct, state-controlled cybersecurity awareness initiatives, emphasizing digital sovereignty and national security.
  • Education: Universities across the region (both EU and Russia) participate in awareness events, often aligned with national government or regional frameworks.
  • Big Tech: Western Big Tech (Microsoft, Google, Cisco) focuses on EU Eastern Europe. Russian tech giants (Kaspersky, Sberbank, Rostelecom) lead awareness efforts within Russia.
  • Private/Independent: Strong professional association presence (ISACA, (ISC)²) and some digital rights NGOs in EU Eastern Europe. In Russia, truly independent private/civil society initiatives are very rare, with most efforts coming from state-affiliated entities or large corporations.