Bradley University Center for Cybersecurity Announces Events for Cybersecurity Awareness Month

September 29, 2026

Bradley University’s Center for Cybersecurity is proud to continue its participation in Cybersecurity Awareness Month this October, joining organizations around the world in helping individuals and communities become safer and more secure online.

Held each October, Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a global initiative led by the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). The 2026 campaign encourages everyone to “Don’t Make It Easy for Them,” emphasizing that cybersecurity does not depend on one perfect decision, but on building simple, effective habits and practicing them consistently.

Bradley’s Center for Cybersecurity has participated as a Cybersecurity Awareness Month Champion since 2018. Throughout October, the Center will translate that national message into opportunities for education, discussion and hands-on learning through its Cybersecurity Film Series, annual Cybersecurity Day, and BSides Peoria cybersecurity conference.
These activities reflect the Center’s broader mission to advance cybersecurity education, research, and service at Bradley while creating opportunities for students, faculty, industry professionals and members of the community to learn from one another. The Center also works to strengthen partnerships with public and private organizations and expand experiential learning opportunities for Bradley students.

2026 Cybersecurity Film Series

The Center for Cybersecurity began its Cybersecurity Film Series in 2019 as a way to explore important cybersecurity and technology issues through film and discussion. All four 2026 screenings will begin at 6 p.m. in Marty Theatre in the Michel Student Center. Attendance is free and open to students, faculty, staff and members of the community, popcorn will be provided, and attendees are invited to participate in a discussion and Q&A following each film.

Zero Days (2016) | Wednesday, Oct. 7, 6 p.m.
The documentary examines Stuxnet, the sophisticated malware developed to target Iran’s nuclear program, and the broader implications of a cyberweapon that ultimately spread beyond its intended target.

Cracking the Queen’s Code (2025) | Wednesday, Oct. 14, 6 p.m.
The film tells the story of amateur codebreakers who decoded dozens of encrypted letters written by Mary, Queen of Scots, revealing correspondence that had remained secret for more than four centuries.
The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist | Wednesday, Oct. 21, 6 p.m.
A father-to-be sets out to understand the rapid development of artificial intelligence, the possibilities created by the technology and what may be at stake as AI becomes increasingly embedded in society.

Surveilled (2024) | Wednesday, Oct. 28, 6 p.m.
Journalist Ronan Farrow investigates the technologies and practices enabling modern state surveillance, raising questions about privacy, security and the growing ability to monitor individuals in their everyday lives.

2026 Cybersecurity Day
Friday, Oct. 23, 12:30–3:30 p.m.
Business and Engineering Convergence Center, rooms 1150/1160

Since 2018, Cybersecurity Day has brought students, faculty, staff, alumni, industry professionals and community members together at Bradley to explore timely cybersecurity issues and recognize the accomplishments of members of the university’s cybersecurity community.

This year’s featured speaker is Steve Stonebraker, Director of Security Engineering and Offensive Operations at Abira Security, who will present “Reeling in the Risks: 30 Years of Phishing and How Traditional MFA Gets Caught in the Net.” The presentation will examine the evolution of phishing and the limitations of traditional multifactor authentication against modern attacks.

The Center will continue another Cybersecurity Day tradition with the Bradley Red Team Hall of Fame induction ceremony, recognizing Thomas Janssen, Digital Operations Specialist with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Brenden Wagner, IT Security at ULINE.

Cybersecurity Day is free and open to students, faculty, staff and members of the community.

BSides Peoria 2026
Saturday, Oct. 24 | Bradley University

Cybersecurity Awareness Month will culminate in one of the region’s largest opportunities for cybersecurity professionals, students and enthusiasts to learn and collaborate when BSides Peoria returns to Bradley University on Oct. 24.

The Center for Cybersecurity has hosted BSides Peoria at Bradley since the conference was established by the Illinois Cyber Foundation in 2023. The community-driven conference creates opportunities for attendees to participate in technical talks, demonstrations, competitions, networking and hands-on activities covering a broad range of cybersecurity topics.

The 2026 conference represents a significant expansion of the hands-on experience available to attendees, with 15 technical talks, competitions, and dedicated villages exploring different areas of cybersecurity.

Among those experiences is the Physical Security Village, introduced at BSides Peoria in 2025 by Bradley faculty, staff, and students. The village gives attendees a safe and ethical environment to explore lockpicking, bypass techniques, physical access controls and the relationship between physical and digital security. Participants ranging from first-time learners to experienced cybersecurity professionals can work with practice rigs and learn from mentors.

New for 2026, the Center has also launched the Human Hacking Village, an interactive experience focused on the human side of cybersecurity. Through social engineering challenges, simulations, games and demonstrations, attendees can explore how trust, communication and human behavior can become part of an attack—and how greater awareness can help strengthen defenses. Activities include the Vishing Challenge, Phishing Simulation, Zero Trust game, live social engineering demonstrations, and opportunities to learn about open-source intelligence and influence techniques.

BSides Peoria will also include a Radio Frequency Village, Capture the Flag competition and additional technical programming spanning offensive and defensive security, artificial intelligence, threat intelligence, hardware and wireless security, and social engineering.

Registration and additional conference information are available at BSidesPeoria.com.

Extending Awareness Beyond October

While Cybersecurity Awareness Month provides an opportunity to place additional focus on online safety, the Center for Cybersecurity’s work extends throughout the year. The Center supports cybersecurity education, experiential learning, research, community outreach and partnerships designed to prepare students while helping individuals and organizations better understand and respond to cybersecurity threats.

Through events such as Cybersecurity Day, the Cybersecurity Film Series and BSides Peoria—and through hands-on initiatives such as the Physical Security and Human Hacking Villages—the Center aims not only to raise awareness, but also to give participants opportunities to experience cybersecurity concepts in ways that are practical, engaging and memorable.

By encouraging stronger everyday security habits, creating opportunities for meaningful discussion and giving students and community members opportunities to learn by doing, Bradley University’s Center for Cybersecurity is helping make cybersecurity awareness a shared responsibility.

To receive updates throughout Cybersecurity Awareness Month, follow the Center for Cybersecurity on X and LinkedIn, or visit bradley.edu/cybersecurity.

For more information about Cybersecurity Awareness Month and the 2026 “Don’t Make It Easy for Them” campaign, visit the National Cybersecurity Alliance or CISA.