Cybersecurity

There are several cybersecurity trends that truly deserve top attention when we look back at 2023 — and they will get it. Meanwhile, cyber attacks against critical infrastructure quietly grow, despite a lack of major attention.   

With the growing frequency of cyber attacks around the world, the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service has established a new cybersecurity certificate series to help protect organizations and data.

Federal and state cybersecurity officials said that a poor or possibly even default password could be the weak link that recently enabled hackers to break into a Pittsburgh-area water system.

Some city data was accessed during a cyber incident this month, Long Beach officials announced, though the exact nature and amount of the compromised information is still under investigation.

The North Texas Municipal Water District, which supplies water to sprawling Collin County suburbs, is the latest target of a ransomware attack. The breach has not disrupted service to the more than 2 million customers in the area.

Two weeks after a ransomware attack, Huber Heights officials say the Income Tax Division is back online and the city's payroll was processed successfully last week. It is unclear if the attack exposed resident data.

A recap of 2023's pivotal trends in gov tech: transportation transitions, cybersecurity challenges and strides in digital inclusivity.

The Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa says one of its booster stations has been hacked and partially controlled by a cyber guerilla group tied to the Iranian government, according to news reports.

Government has battle-tested playbooks for dealing with hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires. As cyber emergencies become both more common and more devastating, what can cyber responders learn from physical emergency response?

Wisconsin’s Division of Enterprise Technology has a new senior leader in Troy Stairwalt. He brings more than 25 years of experience in the private sector to the chief information security officer role.

The affected health-care systems were hit by the cyber attack on Thanksgiving Day, and they were forced to divert ambulances in the aftermath, according to officials with Ardent Health Services.

A public school district in Georgia is still trying to bring its network back online after shutting it down in mid-November because of “suspicious activity." Officials say important programs were not impacted.

A public community college in Ohio is one of 16 institutions in the state acknowledged by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security for having a high-quality cybersecurity program.

A sophisticated foreign cyber attack disrupted courts across the state last month, jeopardizing sensitive information, the Kansas Supreme Court said this week. Officials are still evaluating the data the criminals stole.

Long Beach, Calif., continues to grapple with a Nov. 14 network security incident. It declared a local emergency on Nov. 17 and on Nov. 22 announced the restoration of a few services.  

UND researchers will work with others at Iowa State University, ComEd and the software firm Kevala to develop a software tool to protect distributed energy resources such as solar panels, wind turbines and EV chargers.

The Federal Communications Commission's $200 million initiative would help income-eligible districts and libraries identify what data protection measures are needed and provide discounted cybersecurity tools.

Amid struggles to fill open cybersecurity positions, some states have looked toward volunteer citizen brigades trained to respond when smaller jurisdictions need help. Experts consider whether the benefits outweigh the risks.