Cybersecurity

Plus, North Carolina launched a new website to support digital inclusion, Massachusetts is investing in connecting public housing properties, CISA issued mobile communications guidance, and more.

The state Attorney General’s office sued Change Healthcare and two co-defendants over the alleged exposure of financial account details and protected health information of at least 575,000 Nebraskans.

Overseeing everything from state finances and human resources to property, real estate management and construction services, OMES is the backbone of Oklahoma. Spearheading a “whole-of-state” approach to essential services, OMES strives to increase efficiency, reduce financial and administrative overheads, and eliminate the duplication of effort, making it easier for the state’s agencies and affiliates to focus on their core missions.

2024 was a year with growing ransomware attacks, accelerating use of artificial intelligence (for good and evil), more deepfakes in online fraud and election threats being overstated, but Donald Trump becoming president-elect (again) is the top 2024 cyber story.

Now that November is behind us, let’s reflect on the important lessons from CISA’s Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience Month. This year’s theme — Resolve to be Resilient — reminded us that, as critical infrastructure, state and local agencies must prepare and invest now for the disruptions of tomorrow.

In a pivotal year, governments enacted AI laws, strengthened defenses, bridged the broadband gap, and prioritized accessible, user-friendly digital services. As 2025 nears, most jurisdictions still lack fully mature AI frameworks.

Artificial intelligence may have been the topic on many minds this year, but cybersecurity and risk management topped NASCIO’s annual list of the top 10 priorities for state CIOs. AI did, however, rise to second place this year.

The incident Dec. 1 downed computer and most phone systems at two hospitals in southeast Los Angeles County, and one in Los Angeles. Urgent care centers, doctors’ offices, and a home health and hospice agency were also compromised.

A so-called “man-in-the-middle” cyber attack last month compromised the city’s transfer of nearly half a million dollars to pay for excavation during a water infrastructure replacement project. The FBI is among agencies investigating.

John Toney, the state’s chief information security officer, has been appointed a visiting fellow by the National Security Institute. Through this position, he will learn from cyber execs, building his knowledge to better serve Vermonters.

As we wrap up 2024, two new reports suggest that Europe and leading African nations share many of the same cyber threats and potential cybersecurity solutions as their U.S. counterparts.

White Lake Township was “a victim of a sophisticated cybersecurity attack,” its police chief said. The incident has compromised a portion of $29 million in infrastructure bond funds. Federal authorities and local police are investigating.

An expert offers insights on how government agencies, frequent targets online, can safeguard critical infrastructure and future-proof their cybersecurity. Also under consideration: artificial intelligence’s dual role in security.

According to city of Odessa officials, state-provided software meant to enhance cybersecurity effectively protected city systems, and staff is now restoring operations using secure backups.

An unprecedented cyber attack, nicknamed Salt Typhoon by Microsoft, has potentially exposed private communications to foreign hackers, with officials saying China has targeted major telecom companies.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has released an updated edition of a publication that covers running a program to measure cybersecurity performance, and choosing what to measure.

The state is broadening a cybersecurity vulnerability assessment program to include water and wastewater utilities. Officials aim to do at least 342 tailored security examinations by 2026 to help local governments.

The president-elect is expected to take a predominantly deregulatory approach to technology, and to aggressively pursue foreign cyber threat actors. He returns to office in a time of international tension in cyber space.