Cybersecurity

Improving national cybersecurity means requiring organizations to report incidents — and giving these requirements enforcement teeth, said CISA Director Jen Easterly and National Cyber Director Chris Inglis.

Florida state lawmakers assigned $30 million this year for a host of cybersecurity measures in a one-time attempt to shore up the state’s defenses, but months later, not a penny has been spent.

Because election disinformation appears to be a norm in modern U.S. politics, election officials now find themselves in the unenviable position of having to become public relations and communications experts.

Starting Nov. 1, a Wisconsin bill will go into effect requiring insurance companies to meet specific requirements to protect residents' private information, including social security numbers and health information.

A health-care company in Monroe County, Mich., suffered a sophisticated ransomware attack in July. Although there was concern that hackers could have compromised medical data, only financial info was affected.

After serving as chief information security officer for the North Dakota Information Technology Department for about two years, Kevin Ford has announced he will be leaving the position after this week.

According to unnamed federal officials, the U.S. Treasury Department is poised to announce policies later this week that would sanction cryptocurrency entities that facilitate payment to ransomware criminals.  

If the legislation to create the new commission gets traction, standards would be set around the protection of private data across several sectors. Proponents contend these minimum standards will help secure the state.

As schools and colleges confront the challenges of COVID-19, cyber criminals exploit weaknesses in the computer networks and online systems.

The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services said yesterday that the personal data of most Alaskans could have been compromised by a May cyber attack. In response, the state is offering free credit monitoring.

Speakers at an Open Technology Institute event said government needs to establish clear procedures for vetting high-risk AI systems for bias and discriminatory impacts plus attach enforcement policies to drive change.

The laboratory in South Carolina, run by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management, is positioned for research on the national grid and medical industry cybersecurity, among other things.

North East Independent School District has warned close to 5,000 current and former employees that their data could have been compromised by an intruder last month who accessed the email account of a payroll employee.

CISA Cybersecurity Advisor Domingo Rivera said organizations preparing against ransomware should adopt strong practices for maintaining backups and decide ahead of time everything from who to contact to whether to pay.

Editorial staff of The Virginian-Pilot argue that the state’s plan, approved in 2018, is paying dividends by creating innovations, filling much-needed jobs, and drawing students and businesses in the cybersecurity space.

Big Tech makes a lot of promises about protecting privacy, but the reality is that using the industry’s products is a matter of trust.

There's momentum — and funding — behind improving state and local government cybersecurity like never before. But as leaders ponder how to use it, they should remember that security is not about the latest slick tool.

Late last month, a class-action action lawsuit was filed against St. Joseph's/Candler Hospital Health System, which suffered a ransomware attack that could have exposed the data of more than a million people.