Simple security habits can make a big difference. GÉANT invites the R&E community to get involved in Small Habits. Big Impact, our 2026 cybersecurity awareness campaign.
Cybersecurity is part of everyday working life: keeping software up to date, checking where an application comes from, protecting a device while travelling, being careful with removable media, or taking an extra moment before clicking a link.
These actions may seem small. But repeated consistently, they become habits, and good security habits can help protect our devices, our work, our research and our digital lives.
That is the thinking behind this year’s campaign.
Join in and make the most of the campaign
The campaign will run until mid-December, with GÉANT sharing practical content and resources focused on securing devices and building better security habits.
The campaign materials are designed to be used and shared across the R&E community. NRENs, universities, research organisations and other community members are encouraged to make the campaign their own, by using the materials with colleagues and users, sharing them through their own channels, and localise their messages.
Webinar recording: 'Visit the campaign page and download the resources
You can use the campaign to:
- raise awareness among staff, students and researchers
- support your organisation’s existing cybersecurity and awareness activities
- share practical security advice through your internal communications channels
- use campaign visuals and messages in presentations, newsletters and social media
- encourage colleagues to think about the small actions that become part of their everyday routines
- connect your own awareness activities with a wider campaign across the international R&E community.
What is Small Habits. Big Impact about?
This year’s campaign focuses particularly on device security and the everyday behaviours that help keep devices and the information they contain secure.
Topics covered include software updates and patching, trusted applications, working securely while travelling, removable media, insecure public Wi-Fi, malicious or fake applications and the use of shadow AI. The campaign also looks at how organisations can encourage secure habits rather than relying on one-off reminders.
The emphasis is deliberately practical. cybersecurity advice does not have to be complicated to be useful. Sometimes it is about taking a second or two to stop, check and make a safer choice, and then doing it again the next time.
Use the campaign materials
The materials are available for the community to use throughout the campaign. Download, share them, and use them in your own awareness activities. Whether you are planning a cybersecurity awareness day, week or month, preparing an internal newsletter, running a training session or simply looking for something useful to share with colleagues, Small Habits. Big Impact provides ready-to-use content to help you get the message across. You can find all available materials here.
Please note that we’ll be adding more resources in the coming weeks.
And although the campaign runs until mid-December, secure habits do not have an end date. The aim is to help make cybersecurity part of everyday practice throughout the year.
Webinars
The campaign’s webinar series started earlier this month with the very well-attended online event The psychology behind secure habits with Prof. Dr. Kristin Weber from the Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt. Here’s where you can find the recording.
Registrations are open for the next webinar 9.8 out of 10. So what? with Dr Francesco Masala from Eurac Research and the Free University of Bozen/Bolzano on 22 October at 15:00 CEST. Here’s where you can register.
More webinars will be announced across our channels, so, please watch this space.
Be part of the campaign
The strength of a community campaign comes from people using it, sharing it and adding their own experience.
So, join Small Habits. Big Impact and help spread the message across the R&E community.
