Cities and counties are beefing up their IT security, and that makes sense, says Augustine Boateng, interim chief information officer (CIO) in Memphis, Tenn.
“It’s important to note that local governments have developed a reputation over the years for having lackluster cybersecurity; and not without good reason. As a result, we’re seeing more and more cyberattacks targeting cities, counties, and the like.” Boateng lists the following IT weaknesses that are sometimes found in local government technology departments:
Read more…
Source: American City & County News
Related:
- Iran-based Cyber Actors Enabling Ransomware Attacks on US Organizations
August 28, 2024
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3) are releasing this joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) to warn network defenders that, as of August 2024, a group of Iran-based cyber actors continues to exploit U.S. and foreign organizations. This includes organizations across several sectors ...
- Hunters International ransomware gang threatens to leak US Marshals data
August 27, 2024
The Hunters International ransomware group is threatening to leak what it claims to be 386 GB of data from the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), more than a year after the federal law enforcement agency suffered a major ransomware attack. The gang claims the data, comprising more than 327,000 files, includes “Top Secret” documents, gang files, information ...
- SMS scammers use toll fees as a lure
August 27, 2024
In April 2024, the FBI warned about a new type of smishing scam. Smishing is the term we use for phishing attacks sent via text message. This particular smishing scam tries to trick users into clicking a link by telling them they owe a “small amount” in toll fees. The scammers send a text claiming that ...
- Ransomware attacks on schools threaten student data nationwide
August 26, 2024
Imagine a criminal gaining unrestricted access to your child’s most private information — medical records, Social Security numbers and even details about their daily bus ride to school. This alarming scenario is becoming a reality for a growing number of families as sophisticated cybercriminals increasingly target schools across the United States, holding their computer systems ...
- Port of Seattle says it was hit with possible cyberattack; outage affects airport, phone systems
August 25, 2024
The Port of Seattle said Saturday it was hit with a “possible cyberattack” that impacted Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, phone systems, and websites. The outage was first reported Saturday morning just after 9 a.m. PT, described as an “internet and web systems outage.” A few hours later, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport posted on X and said the Port ...
- Halliburton probes impact of cyber attack with law enforcement
August 24, 2024
Top U.S. oilfield services firm Halliburton said on Friday it was working with law enforcement to determine the extent of a computer systems breach and was yet to determine if the incident would have a material impact on its business. The $23-billion company became aware of the cyber attack on Wednesday, it said in its first ...

