Cybersecurity

Recent strikes on Iranian targets are putting renewed focus on how the country integrates offensive cyber capabilities into the battlespace — and how prepared federal agencies are for retaliation.

As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, how can public-sector teams prepare organizationally for the next generation of cyber attacks and equip themselves with the right tools?

Though denying liability, the cloud software provider and its client, Chicago Public Schools, are paying to settle allegations of improperly collecting, monitoring and sharing private data and communications.

City 911 center staff temporarily moved Feb. 17 to a statewide emergency communications center. Several city departments remain without Internet after the attempted “interruption” Feb. 13.

Research from the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity at UC Berkeley shows that those states passed a total of 99 bills, with the majority of them passing between one and three pieces of legislation.

Officials have formally named Bryce Bailey the state’s chief information security officer, elevating him from the interim role after nearly a month in place. Cybersecurity, he said, “is a long game.”

Jennifer Pittman-Leeper is GovRAMP’s new field CISO, which is an advisory role. Meanwhile, the nonprofit organization has now added North Carolina to the states that it provides cybersecurity guidance.

A Chicago-area elementary school technology director recently spoke about the most vulnerable spots in school districts, the rising use of deepfakes, and the growing sophistication of email phishing attempts.

Internet services are still down at City Hall and other departments nearly a week after officials uncovered the attempted incident. Residents are unlikely to notice significant disruptions, officials said.

Artificial intelligence is complicating an already difficult calculation for schools, empowering hackers at the same time federal government cuts to cybersecurity are pushing IT leaders to adapt and share services.

Some ways to master the essential tools to protect your privacy without sacrificing the convenience of modern smart technology.

The technology director of Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District in Texas says AI will make phishing campaigns and deepfake videos more sophisticated, requiring more vigilance on the part of network users.

Some school district IT teams have been experimenting with using generative AI tools for cybersecurity, for example to analyze data logs on help desk tickets to improve incident response plans, or to troubleshoot code.

The incident, described as an “attempted interruption,” prompted staffers to work manually, and led to the cancellation of a City Council meeting. Water, sewer and tax payments are also disrupted.

The move places the state among a growing group of governments using the shared authorization framework to reduce duplicative vendor security assessments. GovRAMP evolved from StateRAMP last year.

A faux-phishing email crafted by students at Eminence High School in Kentucky snagged 14 staffers at the district. Another in late January, created with help from generative AI, persuaded 29 staffers to click the link.

At least three states have taken action following the cyber attack, which exposed sensitive personal and medical information. Hackers accessed a company network during a nearly three-month period.

Federal lawmakers reactivated the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program earlier this month — but the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees it, is in partial shutdown.