Preparing for Ransomware Attacks Targeting State & Local Government Agencies (E51)

Today’s interview will give you perspectives from five states on how they manage the ransomware threat, and that sage advice will be combined with a subject matter expert from Tenable.

Tenable’s Chris Jensen has seen it all when defending against ransomware. He observes that ransomware does not typically come from a brand-new zero-day threat. From his experience, ransomware will attack “known vulnerabilities” in systems. This is especially true with techniques that have not been patched.

Further, he has seen that there are a small number of attack points where a system is vulnerable. If one concentrates on these areas, time and finances can be applied effectively.

Three different states are represented in this discussion, and we see similar but unique applications of best practices.

North Carolina: Rob Main reviews how the State of North Carolina has assembled four distinct groups of security experts to respond to the threat of ransomware: IT Department, Department of Public Safety, North Carolina Emergency Management, the National Guard Cybersecurity response force, and the North Carolina Local Government Information Systems Association.

Michigan: Jayson Cavendish describes a response with the Michigan State Police. He also includes local governments and the Michigan Army, and Air National Guards. Further, his state has included tabletop exercises to practice timely response to a cyber threat.

Delaware: Solomon Adote brings a Mid-Atlantic spin. Of course, some communities can assist in attacks, but Delaware has focused on identification management to limit the impact of ransomware. He talks about adaptive multi factor identification as a stop gap measure if the malicious actor is in the system and attempting to move horizontally.

Solomon Adote understands the impact of constant training, and he acknowledges that “training fatigue” can set in when it comes to cyber threats. To remedy this situation, he has led an effort to create short videos to reinforce best practices for preventing cyber-attacks.

All participants recognize the value of NIST cyber guidelines for preventing cyber-attacks.

To view this webinar: New Year’s Resolution for 2022: Preparing for Ransomware Attacks Targeting State & Local Government Agencies.

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