Creating Awareness Around the Critical Issue of Cybersecurity
10/16/2018 11:44:57 AM
October 16, 2018
Throughout the month of October, Minnesota’s information technology experts take time to educate state employees and the public about cybersecurity threats.
St. Paul, MN - October is “Cybersecurity Awareness Month” in the State of Minnesota, as proclaimed by Governor Mark Dayton on October 1, 2018. The Governor’s Proclamation, in conjunction with National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, draws attention to the need for visibility and public education around this critical issue.
“We live in a world that is increasingly inter-connected and dependent on technology, and keeping your information secure online is as important now as it has ever been,” said Commissioner Johanna Clyborne. “You don’t have to be a computer expert to create a strong password or spot phishing attempts to harvest your personal data. Taking the time to learn some safety tips on your own contributes to a more secure Minnesota for everyone.”
While MNIT plans to advocate for smart cybersecurity investments during the upcoming legislative session, the agency is focusing this month on sharing cybersecurity tips with the public on social media, and on educating state employees about how to address some of the biggest security threats to state data and systems. Some of MNIT’s efforts involve visiting state agency offices to distribute materials containing safety tips and reporting procedures, encouraging employees to develop and maintain strong passwords for their accounts, and coordinating an internal messaging campaign to help state employees recognize suspicious emails and report them right away.
“Phishing,” a messaging technique that cyber-attackers use to trick people into providing information, credentials, or money to malicious sources, is a particularly persistent threat to state systems that targets state employees. Sometimes, these messages contain malware or ransomware, which prevents users from accessing systems until payment is made. Since July 2018, the Security Operations Center (SOC) at MNIT has identified over 1,673 unique phishing messages targeting state users – an average of 22 messages per day.
“When a ransomware attack hit the city of Atlanta’s computer systems last spring, it affected internal programs and customer-facing applications that allowed residents to pay bills. That can happen on a broader scale here in Minnesota if we’re not prepared,” said Chief Information Security Officer Aaron Call. “MNIT is devoted to ensuring state employees are aware of the risks out there so that we can keep state systems safe, but there is always more we can do to put Minnesota in the best position possible to meet the threat head on.”
While Minnesota IT Services will continue the fight to protect citizen’s personal information and keep state systems running, you can learn how to keep your personal information secure online. Keep phishing at bay by deleting email messages (without clicking on any links or opening any attachments) if they contain the following:
Interested in some more cybersecurity tips you can use at home? Check out Aaron Call's advice for:
Minnesota IT Services, led by the state’s Chief Information Officer, is the Information Technology agency for Minnesota’s executive branch, providing enterprise and local IT services to over 70 agencies, boards and commissions. MNIT employs more than 2,000 people across 90 physical locations. Together, we build, maintain, and secure the State’s IT infrastructure, applications, projects and services. MNIT sets IT strategy, direction, policies and standards for enterprise IT leadership and planning. We also serve Minnesotans by connecting all 87 counties, 300 cities, and 200 public higher education campuses across the state on the MNET network. Through public-private partnerships, our team proactively protects the state’s information systems and the private data of 5.5 million Minnesotans.
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Cybersecurity
