This October, IOWA joins the BTAA and member schools in celebrating National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, aligning with this year's national theme of "Building a Cyber Strong America" to underscore the importance of everyday action in safeguarding critical, regulated systems, and data. Our campus series branded "Hawkeye Secure", features interactive games, live hacking demonstrations, AI threat discussions, and expert panels designed to engage faculty, staff, researchers and students alike. Explore the weekly tracks below and register now to join the conversation, learn practical defenses, and help ensure our Hawkeye community stays sharp, resilient, and safe online.
Level UP Your Cyber Game - College Game Day Edition
October 1, 2025
10:30 am PT / 12:30 pm CT / 1:30 pm ET
The Big Ten Academic Alliance and member schools are partnering with the National Cybersecurity Alliance 12:30 pm on October 1st, 2025 to host a BTAA-wide cybersecurity trivia game show called “Level UP Your Cyber Game—College Game Day Edition. Seating is limited and on a first come-first served basis.
Click Register to sign-up via the following link to reserve a spot.
NB: Sign up with your university e-mail address to allow the event organizers to add you to the BTAA’s ‘winning-team’. Go Hawks!
BTAA CISO Panel: Securing the Mission: Building Awareness and Resilience in Higher Ed
October 9, 2025
11:00 am PT / 1:00 pm CT / 2:00 pm ET
Higher education institutions face security challenges that demand thoughtful, coordinated responses across many of our distributed environments. Addressing these challenges effectively requires not only structure and leadership but also a shared understanding of the complexity that underpins our work, all the while meeting the mission of teaching, learning, and research. Our panelists will cover topics related to risk within our organizations, how to build and deliver a strong security awareness program and culture, and where they see the security space evolving to further educate and promote security in the higher education space.
Panelists: Guy Albertini (Rutgers), José Domínguez (Oregon), Asmat Noori (Michigan), Andrew Weisskopf (Michigan State)
Click Register to sign-up via the following link to reserve a spot.
Scary Cyber Tales: Don't Let Your Data Go Bump in the Night
October 22, 2025
11:00 am PT / 1:00 pm CT / 2:00 pm ET
This event is a spine-chilling journey into the real-life dangers of the digital world. We'll share real-world stories of cyberattacks, data breaches, and online scams that will make you think twice about your digital security. Learn about the most common threats, from phishing and ransomware to malware and social engineering, and get practical tips on how to protect yourself. Join our team of cybersecurity experts for an hour of spooky tales and essential security lessons to ensure your digital life doesn't turn into a scary cyber tale!
Click Register to sign-up via the following link to reserve a spot.
Rachel Tobac: Exploiting Trust - The Human Element of Security
October 29, 2025
9:00 am PT / 11:00 am CT / 12:00 pm ET
It only takes 1 email, a 30 second call, or 1 social media DM for her to hack you and gain access to your money, data, and systems. Meet Rachel Tobac, who executes these social engineering attacks for a living and uses her real-life ethical hacking stories to keep organizations up to date on the methods criminals are using to trick people. She'll break down recent cyber attacks in the news, and how to defend against the latest hacking methods, even when criminals are using AI. Her tales from the field and live hacking demonstrations throughout the presentation are sure to keep you and your team "politely paranoid" to catch the next human hacker in the act.
Click Register to sign-up via the following link to reserve a spot.
