Features

Uh-oh! The US Air Force Asks Netizens To Help Name Its Cybersecurity Mascot

Gungho Cowboy

US Air Force Cybersecurity Mascot

After hearing this effort by the US Air Force have netizens name the cybersecurity mascot, the first thing that came to my mind is something every Star Wars fan has heard, “I have a bad feeling about this.” Indeed, whilst the internet is always a place for ideas, good or bad, sometimes it will play a prank on even a serious but fun effort to have something crowdsourced.

I know it’s not airsoft-related at all, but this could be a fun activity, if you know what I mean.

It’s always a good thing to rely on the wisdom of the crowds as long as its managed properly. Looking at the mascot design, it looks like the US Air Force is trying hard to make a cute one, but I do agree with some of the comments of some of my mates after showing it to them --- they better try harder as it looks like a robot guard that gets blasted to bits on some weekend cartoon show on TV.

Here is the official tweet from Office of the Chief Information Security Officer of the US AirForce and SpaceForce DoD.


US Air Force Cybersecurity Mascot 02

But if you want a more official announcement you can always click here which says:

Introducing to you all, our newest team member, our CISO cybersecurity awareness mascot. He is mighty, strong and here to fight our cyber problems away. We will be integrating this character with the Department of Air Force cyber awareness marketing material, campaigns and announcements to help support brand awareness. Help us come up with a catchy name for our mascot! Please send names to [email protected]. Winner of the best name will be announced.

This mascot is probably designed to pester internet users if they have taken precautions that their connected devices are protected from the bad guys out there.

So back to the “I have a bad feeling about this.” Do you remember “Boaty McBoatface?” Yes, that (in)famous internet name polling done by the U.K’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to have their about to be launched  £200 million polar scientific research ship with their #NameOurShip in 2012. A BBC presenter jokingly suggested “Boaty McBoatface” in homage to “Hooty McOwlface”, the name chosen for an owl for the “Adopt-A-Bird” programme in 2012. Netizens gamely chose “Boaty McBoatface” but the NERC decide to name the ship RRS Sir David Attenborough. But to honour the choice of the netizens, it gave the “Boaty McBoatface” name to one of boat’s autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs).

Will the mascot be named “Robby McRobotface”? Sounds catchy, right? We’ll find out soon if the US Air Force will play along when the Internet decides to play a trick on them.

The Latest News

Feature Story

Airsoft Guns and Gear Reviews