Cybersecurity
South Dakota opens bids in state-funded $7 million cybersecurity effort to protect local governments
South Dakota wants to hire a company to review local governments’ vulnerabilities to hackers.
Kept in the dark
Meet the hired guns who make sure school cyberattacks stay hidden.
China-linked fraud network exploits stolen Massachusetts identities to target U.S. banks
It’s not clear who exactly the Chinese operatives are, but the scheme has been ongoing and persistent, said Socure executive Jordan Burris.
Preparing for battle: Cybersecurity incident response for public bodies
COMMENTARY | It may feel impossible to plan for a cyberattack, but public sector organizations can take several steps now to protect themselves, both legally and through policy.
A challenging transition for new state CIOs
Several people are new to leading their state’s technology divisions and must navigate all manner of rules and laws while trying to make their own mark on the position.
School software provider is the latest target of major hack of personal data
The incident is the latest large-scale data breach in the U.S., as year after year, the number of cybercrimes continues to rise.
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Coming federal cyber executive order includes a push to mobile drivers licenses
The draft order does not, however, tackle the full breadth of actions that were expected from a promised identity executive order that has yet to materialize.
Resilience over resources: Closing the cybersecurity gap in state and local government
COMMENTARY | While they may lack the budget and staff to mount an effective defense, states and localities can take many other steps without needing to spend more money.
Parents think schools’ cybersecurity is stronger than reality, report says
Recent research from Keeper Security found a “widening gap” between the perception of districts’ cyber readiness. Better training and information sharing can help improve the outlook.
How govs can strengthen their cyber staff in the new year
Budgetary and staffing challenges are likely to follow state and local governments into 2025, but experts say agencies’ progress toward addressing those obstacles will prevail too.
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Governor urges Rhode Islanders to take precautions to protect personal data
Gov. Dan McKee called the deadline given by hackers who installed malicious malware on the RIBridges system and demanded a ransom a “moving target” at a press conference late Saturday afternoon.
Democrats push to protect the data privacy of people seeking abortions
In Congress, Sen. Elizabeth Warren plans to reintroduce legislation to ban data brokers from selling consumers’ health and location data. A similar effort is underway in Michigan.
Could states’ cyber get trickier under a Trump admin?
Some Republicans have proposed eliminating CISA altogether, which could complicate information sharing efforts. More pressing, though, is the ending of federal cyber grants.
Cyber training is key to help underserved communities, report finds
States must work to develop cybersecurity professionals in areas that have been left behind, and can use relationships with schools and nonprofits to do so, according to a new NASCIO report.
State and local security adjusting to shifting cyber threats, insurance requirements
COMMENTARY | Ransomware and other threats are making cyber insurance—and the stronger security needed to qualify for it—imperative for government organizations.
Russian email domains sent uncredible bomb threats to polling places, FBI says
Kremlin-backed actors have a long record of sowing fear and disinformation into the U.S. election process.
New art exhibit helps make cyber issues real
The show in Alexandria, Virginia, explores issues like privacy, artificial intelligence and misinformation through artistic expression.
Why Cybersecurity Awareness Month should be every month
COMMENTARY | Cybercrime costs have surpassed $10 trillion globally, illustrating the relentless threat and why state CISOs say they want the spotlight on cybersecurity year-round.
What states learned from the CrowdStrike outage
Three months since a faulty update caused outages and disruptions worldwide, state CIOs are looking back and assessing how they did.
Amid tight budgets and talent gaps, the job of state technology chief just keeps expanding
Many state chief information security officers say they don’t have a reliable budget, staff or expertise to adequately protect against cyberattacks, according to a new survey.
