With that maxim in mind, the state announced Thursday it will be giving the city, as well as nearby Merrimac, over $76,000 in grants to bolster their cybersecurity measures.
Newburyport will receive $51,910 and Merrimac will get $24,933, according to statements made by officials in both communities.
The money comes from the state's Municipal Local Cybersecurity grant program, which allows cities and towns, as well as their school departments, to enhance their ability to respond to a cybersecurity attack.
The new funding will also go toward updating incident response plans and materials necessary to ensure operational continuity after a successful attack.
Information Technology Director David Petto, who came to Newburyport roughly five weeks ago after 20 years in the same position in Belmont, demurred when asked how the money might be used. But he did say the "implantation" of artificial intelligence has cyber attacks getting very detailed these days.
"Someone can get an email and it looks exactly like it came from a legitimate source but it doesn't," he said. "We already have good email systems in place. But you always have to stay ahead of the curve. You can be having a simple conversation with someone and you have to be on guard, all the time."
Petto also said his predecessor, James Pope did a good job of setting up cybersecurity basics in place for the city.
"I will be enhancing what he did," he said. "It's been terrific working with everyone here."
In all, Gov. Maura Healey's administration awarded $7 million in cybersecurity grants to 132 state and regional agencies/municipalities. The funds came from a grant program, offered to states by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Mayor Sean Reardon, in a statement, said that cybersecurity was a rapidly-changing field. He added he's grateful to the state for helping the city improve its security position.
"We look forward to implementing new protections in the city and to continue to stay ahead on cybersecurity," he said.
Reardon also told The Daily News in a text message that people seem to be hearing new cyber attack stories daily and appreciated the Healey administration's help with the problem.
Healey said, via statement, it was vital communities have access to resources, tools, and guidance needed to protect against increasingly frequent and sophisticated cybersecurity threats.
"Through these programs, our administration has undertaken a collaborative approach to equip state agencies and local communities with funding to help prevent, prepare for and recover from attacks on our digital infrastructure," she said.
Merrimac Town Accountant Anne Jim said, in a statement, this is the third such grant Merrimac has received from the state to support its information technology needs.
"(We're) grateful to the commonwealth for its continued support," she said. "This grant will be instrumental in implementing and enhancing security protections."
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