in effect
Proclamation 10985 is a ceremonial presidential proclamation designating October 2025 as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. It does not create law, regulations, or binding obligations; it calls on Americans, companies, and institutions to recognize cybersecurity’s importance through events, training, and education.
This proclamation itself changes nothing operationally — it is a public awareness declaration. It references two prior actions that did have effect: an Executive Order signed earlier in 2025 directing federal agencies to advance secure software development, adopt updated encryption protocols, and reorient AI cybersecurity efforts toward vulnerability management; and the TAKE IT DOWN Act, a separately enacted law strengthening protections against non-consensual intimate images online. The proclamation encourages individual Americans to use stronger passwords, enable multifactor authentication, report phishing emails, back up data, and keep software updated, but these are voluntary recommendations, not mandates.
All Americans are the intended audience for the awareness campaign, with particular emphasis on families and children regarding online safety. Federal agencies were already bound by the earlier Executive Order referenced in the proclamation, and companies and institutions are encouraged — but not required — to hold cybersecurity training and educational events during October 2025.