Cybersecurity

A newly formed joint committee is looking for innovative — and effective — ways to crack down on ransomware payments, bolster localities’ cybersecurity defenses and meet widening gaps in the workforce.

Former Wisconsin Department of Health Services CISO Shane Dwyer brings considerable public-sector experience to his new role as Iowa’s state CISO. He replaces Jeff Franklin, who left the position in January 2020.

Some state and local governments are turning to managed security service providers to shore up the substantial gaps in the cybersecurity workforce. The shift away from a more traditional hiring strategy has its benefits.

The new Virginia Commonwealth Cyber Initiative is already preparing students for important careers and protecting businesses, organizations and individuals from exploitive attacks.

Due to an unprecedented number of threats to election integrity, North Carolina must recognize the importance of year-round security improvements. State legislators are the key to funding these advancements.

A new U.S. House of Representatives bill would allow the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to require infrastructure companies to report a cyber attack within 72 hours of a breach.

The proposal instructs agencies to use “phishing-resistant” multifactor authentication, segment networks and increase encryption. The public comment period on the proposal closes later this month.

The university’s network was shut down Tuesday and classes were canceled following a ransomware attack. Officials said they don’t have evidence that personal information was exposed, but the investigation is ongoing.

The university system's Permian Basin campus has a new summer camp, a designated cybersecurity track in bachelor's and master's programs in computer science, and online certificates for both undergraduates and graduates.

Since relocating to North Idaho College's Hedlund Building, the university's robotics program is teaching students to write software and preparing them for careers in fields such as manufacturing and cybersecurity.

For more than a decade there have been calls to merge physical and cybersecurity in global organizations. Is this the right time? What are the benefits?

Two patients have filed a lawsuit against DuPage Medical Group just days after the physicians’ group said it was notifying them that their personal information may have been compromised during a cyber attack.

The Hermon Town Council in Maine wants an outside firm to conduct a security review of its Internet network, which is run by the school district, whose IT manager was a co-founder of the service provider.

The Dallas Police Department employee responsible for deleting 22.5 terabytes of police data was fired by city officials Friday. The worker had been employed for nine years and showed a history of errors.

DuPage Medical Group, the biggest independent physicians group in Illinois, told 600,000 patients that their data may have been stolen by criminals. Cyber attacks have become common for health-care organizations.

The Government Accountability Office recently released a report detailing the past and future uses of facial recognition technology within 24 federal agencies. The report found that nearly half plan to increase use.

New state CIO Shawnzia Thomas is focusing on expanding broadband, pushing cybersecurity best practices and taking an employee’s-eye view to technology adoptions in her first few months on the job.

Challenge Preparatory Academy in Augusta will teach cyber literacy as a core subject, plus classes on cyber ethics, technical details and other aspects of cybersecurity. It will also host evening classes for adults.