European Cybersecurity Month 2026

Each year in October, the European Cybersecurity Month (ECSM) raises awareness about online threats and underlines the importance of digital safety.  

Coordinated by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), the campaign features hundreds of activities across Europe, including conferences, workshops, training sessions, webinars, and presentations. These initiatives aim to equip people with the knowledge to better understand the challenges and risks of the digital world.

2026 Cybersecurity Month

Marking its 14th anniversary, the 2026 European Cybersecurity Month highlights the importance of online safety in the workplace. The focus is on strengthening cybersecurity awareness and preparedness in the workplace, where employees remain directly exposed to threats such as phishing, fraud, ransomware and increasingly AI-enabled scams. With 74% of employees reporting suspicious emails, messages or links at work, and 85% interested in improving their skills (Eurobarometer survey 2026), European Cybersecurity Month 2026 puts the spotlight on practical ways to build cyber resilience, from awareness and training to stronger organisational security practices and accessible skills-development tools.

Closing the cybersecurity skills gap

The Cybersecurity Skills Academy represents an EU initiative launched as part of the 2023 European Year of Skills to help close the growing cybersecurity talent gap and strengthen the EU cyber workforce.

It creates a centralized hub for training programs, certifications, funding opportunities, and resources. At the same time, it fosters the collaboration between the cybersecurity industry, academia, and institutions.  

Discover the Academy's section on European diversity and inclusion initiatives, or if you would like to suggest an initiative or action on cyber skills and you are active in this industry, you are encouraged to provide your own input!

How can you improve your cybersecurity skills this October?

ECSM 2026 is an opportunity to strengthen both individual and organisational cyber resilience. With this year’s campaign highlighting cybersecurity in the workplace, practical skills, awareness and access to trusted learning resources are more important than ever.

Explore some of our resources to build knowledge, strengthen preparedness and better understand today’s cyber threats:

• AR-in-a-Box by ENISA to support cybersecurity awareness activities in organisations.
• European Cybersecurity Skills Framework (ECSF) to understand cybersecurity roles, competences and skills.
• CYBERHEAD - Cybersecurity Higher Education Database to discover cybersecurity higher education programmes across Europe.
• ENISA Threat Landscape 2026 to stay informed about the latest threats and trends shaping Europe’s cybersecurity landscape.