Security
There’s not much research on getting a new program in place, but police chiefs who have been there have a lot of ideas about what to do — and what not to do.
During the second week of the federal Annual National Cybersecurity Summit, experts shared their thoughts on the roles of states and federal agencies when it comes to dealing with cyber attacks within state borders.
Hundreds of Pennsylvania residents are worried that personal information may be released as the state’s Senate Republicans begin a review of the 2020 election results, despite no evidence of voter fraud.
State officials worry that the few programmers who know how to operate the antiquated system will soon retire, leaving many of the state’s critical functions inaccessible. It’s also a growing cybersecurity risk.
Cybersecurity insurance is becoming more expensive and harder to get, and some insurers are backing out of the market altogether. Where does that leave state and local government?
The Missouri governor has issued legal threats against the St. Louis Post-Dispatch after the paper found a state data risk that left 100,000 social security numbers vulnerable, despite the paper not being responsible.
As attacks on state and local organizations become the rule and not the exception, leaders need to reprioritize their defenses. And they may need to confront a difficult question: Should we pay up?
Are stricter privacy regulations a good thing? As more state and local governments look to protect data privacy, a couple of industry experts point out some of the challenges associated with these types of policies.
Thousands of Arizonans fell victim to identity theft during the pandemic and had their relied-upon jobless payments denied or delayed. Now the state will modernize and upgrade the system’s security to prevent future fraud.
Election officials used to be able to sink into the background but as disinformation spreads officials now must become proactive and transparent about election security and processes, despite zero evidence of fraud.
The attack against the Department of Health and Social Services could have released personal and health information to the hackers. The state will spend $215,000 for free credit monitoring for those who want it.
In one town, police say products like Nextdoor and Ring are helping fight crime. But racism and vigilantism are pervasive on safety platforms.
There have been plenty of failures along the way, but there’s no question coordination between levels of government has improved over the past 20 years, along with security capabilities for blocking catastrophic attacks.
Since 9/11, it’s the only state Capitol in the Northeast without metal detectors and one of only eight nationwide that anyone can bring a gun into, whether the firearm is concealed or carried openly.
Researchers are alarmed by the recent disclosure of sensitive election system software by an ally of former President Donald Trump, and argue the exposure was tantamount to a serious breach of election system security.
With staffs stressed by the pandemic and threats growing, managed security service providers can bring up-to-date expertise to bear while helping governments hold down costs.
States are launching cyber navigator programs to help election officials protect their systems from cyber threats, by helping break down the highly technical skills of cybersecurity into practical next steps.
The White House, tech firms, insurers and educational organizations announced near-future steps to improve national cybersecurity, including new NIST guidelines and tech support for governments looking to upgrade defenses.
The Illinois county’s auditor’s office was phished into wiring $115,000 to a fraudulent bank account. Board members want those involved to resign, but no staffing changes have been made yet.
A police employee accidentally deleted 22 terabytes of case files when trying to migrate data between servers. Officials say they’re now working to recover what they can and prevent future issues.
Florida Digital Service is currently looking for its third chief information security officer in less than a year, and half of the 10-member response team positions are vacant. Lawmakers are worried about the state's cybersecurity.
The citywide network would cost $3.4 million plus $501,000 in annual upkeep fees. City officials believe the benefits outweigh the costs while many residents worry their taxes would foot the bill.
The Feds Are Pushing Harder on Infrastructure Security. States and Localities Need to Pay Attention.
The White House is making it clear: Protecting our critical systems from cyber attacks must involve every level of government as well as the private sector.
“We’re saying we cannot negotiate with you. It’s not legal for us to pay anything.”
Water may be among the least cyber-defended critical infrastructure sectors. Keeping it safe may include channeling more funds and training to tiny agencies and establishing voluntary guidelines.
Intentional or not, untrue information propagating on the Internet threatens democratic institutions and the public good. Emerging tech tools aim to help government combat the threat.
New legislation would provide residents with more control over when their personal data is deleted or sold. The data privacy bill was announced as breaches are on track to break a previous record set in 2017.
A new training program is an opportunity for lawmakers and their staffs to get up to speed so that the policies they craft address the issue in ways that don’t harm the economy.
Officials recently announced a statewide program to provide municipal police departments with money for body cameras, but some cities already have purchased and maintained the technology for years.
As cyber attacks grow in frequency and cost, chief executives are becoming greater targets for hackers for the expansive access the executives have. To mitigate future attacks, cybersecurity can’t just involve the CISO.
Data privacy advocates are pushing for a bill that would tighten restrictions on federal agencies’ access to personal information from driver’s licenses that could lead to civil immigration arrests.
