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Tag: cybersecurity

National Cybersecurity Center Announces Launch of Cybersecurity for Government Leaders

Posted on by Micki Cockrille

Colorado Springs, CO – February 1st, 2023 The National Cybersecurity Center (NCC) announced the launch of Cybersecurity for Government Leaders, an initiative to train all government leaders on cybersecurity best practices. The program, known previously as Cybersecurity for State Leaders, offered trainings in all 50 states and several territories in 2021, trained over 1,300 state leaders. Cyber for Government Leaders aims to educate government leaders and staff on ways to strengthen defenses against digital attacks. 

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER FOR A TRAINING HERE 

“In our outreach to state leaders in 2021, we were bombarded with requests from government leaders at the local level to join the trainings,” said Jonah Wisch, Program Director at the NCC. “Looking forward to 2023, Cybersecurity for Government Leaders will continue the important mission to secure the frontlines of democracy by helping government leaders arm themselves and their staff with best practices to safeguard against cyber threats.” 

The NCC is partnering with CSG West on Cybersecurity for Government Leaders on nonpartisan trainings intended to prepare their membership to be vigilant against cyber threats by offering to educate on the ecosystem of cybersecurity, common types of cyberattacks and best practices on how to protect individuals against cyber threats.  

“CSG West is excited to continue partnering with the NCC and MS-ISAC to offer cybersecurity training and best practices to Western legislators. This policy area is dynamic and complex and there are many newly elected officials who can benefit from this opportunity. It is very important for state legislators to walk the fine line of security and overregulation. We value NCC and MS-ISAC’s expertise and insights on these critical issues.” Edgar Ruiz, CSG West director. 

The trainings will again include participation from national figures in security in both the public and private sector, including Investor on ABC’s Shark Tank and Founder and CEO of Herjavec Group Robert Herjavec, representatives from Google, IBM, Microsoft’s Defending Democracy Program, and more. NCC is also partnering with MS-ISAC and the Center for Internet Security to update the curriculum to include content related to MS-ISAC services and offerings available to all government leaders. 

“We are thrilled to join with the National Cybersecurity Center in educating state and local government leaders in the critical shared responsibility of cybersecurity,” said Karen Sorady, Vice President for MS-ISAC Member Engagement at the Center for Internet Security. “The persistent cyber threat to our government institutions presents a significant financial and operational risk to state and local government entities, and we want them to know that there are many no-cost and low-cost solutions available through the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) to enhance their cybersecurity protections, as well as a community of their peers sharing best practices.” 

As cybersecurity continues to be more important than ever, this initiative takes training directly to the frontlines of our democracy and ensures government leaders and their staff are well versed on the threat environment as well as how to mitigate and protect against potential attacks. 

LEARN MORE AND REGISTER FOR A TRAINING HERE 

About the National Cybersecurity Center 

The National Cybersecurity Center (NCC) is a non-profit organization established for cyber innovation and awareness. Established in 2016 from the vision of United States Senator from Colorado John Hickenlooper, in coordination with several people from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) and the community, the NCC serves both public and private organizations and individuals through leadership, collaboration, and education. Discover NCC at cyber-center.org. 

Moore Capito: Small Businesses Need to be Wary of Cyber Attacks Opiniom

Posted on by Micki Cockrille

Originally Featured on Charleston Gazette-Mail

Small-business owners have many roles to fill – from managing payrolls and marketing to customer service. But one area many small-business owners fail to plan for is their company’s cybersecurity.

According to a recent Small Business Administration survey, 88% of small-business owners feel their business was vulnerable to a cyberattack. Experts warn that small businesses, including those in West Virginia, are under constant attack by cybercriminals, be it from local, national or global actors.

Read the Full Article Here

National Cybersecurity Center Statement on White House Cybersecurity Summit

Posted on by Micki Cockrille

Cybersecurity for State Leaders

On August 25th, President Biden held his first White House Cybersecurity Summit. The National Cybersecurity Center released the following statement:

We commend the Biden Administration for its critical focus on the issue of cybersecurity including appointing Chris Inglis as the first ever National Cyber Director at the White House. Additionally, we commend President Biden for hosting the cybersecurity summit at the White House with leading industry leaders in the tech and financial sectors. As President Biden’s team zeroes in on the critical issue of cybersecurity, we encourage him to work closely with state and local governments, who are on the frontlines of protecting their states against cyber breaches.

In March, we launched Cybersecurity for State Leaders, a nationwide initiative to train, arm, and equip state leaders in best practices in cybersecurity. According to data, more than ten percent of cybersecurity breaches last year involved the public sector – and governments at all levels. States, municipalities, local governments, school districts, hospitals, public utilities and more are significant targets for cyber threats and need all the support they can get.

To date, Cybersecurity for State Leaders has trained hundreds of state leaders including elected and appointed officials and their staffs in best practices in cyber hygiene to help thwart potential threats. We encourage leaders at all levels – including the White House – to remain vigilant against attacks and defend forward against cyber breaches by arming Americans with the best tools to protect themselves.

About National Cybersecurity Center

The National Cybersecurity Center (NCC) is a non-profit organization established for cyber innovation and awareness. Established in 2016 from the vision of United States Senator from Colorado John Hickenlooper, in coordination with several people from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) and the community, the NCC serves both public and private organizations and individuals through training, education and research. Discover NCC at https://cyber-center.org/.

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National Cybersecurity Center Selects Arist for Its Text-Based Cybersecurity Training for State Leaders Initiative   

Posted on by Micki Cockrille

For Immediate Release

 

Contact:

Brian Fitzgerald

Brian@Arist.co

808-754-0437

 

Cybersecurity initiative brings best practices in cybersecurity to state lawmakers and their staff via text message

 

BOSTON, MA – August 26, 2021 — Arist, developers of an innovative enterprise-level text messaging platform for education, training and outreach, today announced that its platform has been selected by the National Cybersecurity Center (NCC) to power text-based cybersecurity training for US state leaders. Cybersecurity for State Leaders is a nationwide awareness initiative led by NCC and supported by Google. The initiative aims to bring best practices in cybersecurity to state lawmakers and their staff in all 50 states via live and virtual events and text-based courses.

“We are excited to be working with the National Cybersecurity Center to bring an innovative new form of cybersecurity training to state leaders and their staff,” stated Arist Co-founder and CEO Michael Ioffe. “It is difficult for busy leaders and their teams to find time for any type of training, so when organizations do get their attention they need to make the most of it. The Arist platform will enable the National Cybersecurity Center to meet leaders where they are, on their mobile devices, enabling them to engage with cybersecurity training in a more efficient and effective manner.”

Backed by behavior science from Stanford, Arist enables organizations to develop fully customizable microlearning courses that are dynamic and that audiences can engage with on their mobile devices. Microlearning is a delivery format where trainers send short-form content, usually via text message or other short-form mediums, over an extended period. The American Institute of Physics found that 90% of respondents welcomed a micro approach to learning, compared to 72% for video. This is a big reason for why NCC selected Arist’s text-based platform as a supplement to their online and in-person training initiatives.

“Cybersecurity is more important now than ever before as evidenced by recent cyber-attacks,” said Harry D. Raduege, Jr., Lieutenant General, USAF (Ret.), CEO of the National Cybersecurity Center. “Awareness and education are important factors in cybersecurity and our partnership with Arist will help the NCC to deliver success in a more convenient and impactful way. We are now able to go directly to the frontlines of our democracy to ensure that state lawmakers are well versed on the threat environment as well as how to mitigate and protect against potential attacks.”

In addition to the text-base courses powered by Arist, NCC’s Cybersecurity for State Leaders also offers live workshops featuring national cybersecurity leaders in both the public and private sector, including famed cybersecurity executive and Investor on ABC’s Shark Tank and founder and CEO of the Herjavec Group, Robert Herjavec, former State Department Spokesperson and Undersecretary of State for Public Affairs Heather Nauert, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R-GA), former Chief Information Security Officer for the Information Security Division of the U.S. Small Business Administration James Saunders, Meredith Griffanti of FTI Consulting, representatives from Google, IBM, Microsoft’s Defending Democracy Program and more.

State leaders and their staff that are interested in the text-based Cybersecurity for State Leaders Training are encouraged to register here: https://cyberforgovleaders.org/contact/.

Forward thinking organizations like NCC love the Arist platform because it doesn’t require any coding experience to use and it integrates easily with other learning and marketing automation systems. Arist is also time-efficient and cost-effective. Training courses and campaigns can be created within a few hours, with zero production cost. Traditional methodologies can take hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars to produce.

For more information about Arist, please visit Arist.co

About Arist

Arist is a learning platform that helps Fortune 500 companies and nonprofits rapidly teach and train their workforces via text message-based courses, which are remarkably accessible and frictionless. With use cases ranging from diversity and inclusion to compliance and safety training, Arist is the most effective way to train remote audiences at scale. Arist is based in Boston, MA. For more information, visit Arist.co or on Twitter @learnarist.

About National Cybersecurity Center

The National Cybersecurity Center (NCC) is a non-profit organization established for cyber innovation and awareness. Established in 2016 from the vision of United States Senator from Colorado John Hickenlooper, in coordination with several people from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) and the community, the NCC serves both public and private organizations and individuals through training, education and research. Discover NCC at https://cyber-center.org/.

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Cybersecurity for State Leaders Brings Cyber Trainings to New Mexico as part of the State Legislature’s Third Meeting of the Science, Technology and Telecommunications Committee

Posted on by Micki Cockrille

Cybersecurity for State Leaders

 

Santa Fe, New Mexico – Cybersecurity for State Leaders, a nationwide initiative led by the National Cybersecurity Center (NCC) and supported by Google, will host a virtual briefing with New Mexico officials on Wednesday, August 25th at 11:00 AM MT. The initiative aims to bring best practices in cybersecurity to state lawmakers and their staff in all 50 states — with both live virtual events and a free, executive text message course available at any time. The New Mexico briefing will take place as part of the New Mexico Legislature Third Meeting of the Science, Technology and Telecommunications Committee over 3 days.

FIND THE NEW MEXICO CYBERSECURITY FOR STATE LEADERS WORKSHOP HERE. The link for the webcast will be available on the morning of the 25th.

This nonpartisan briefing will prepare lawmakers and statehouse staff to be vigilant against cyber threats by offering a deep dive into: the ecosystem of cybersecurity, common types of cyber-attacks, how and why cyber-attacks work, and best practices on how to protect individuals against cyber threats.

Cybersecurity is more important than ever as evidenced by governments more frequently falling victim to cyberattacks. This initiative takes training directly to the frontlines of our democracy and ensures state lawmakers are well versed on the threat environment as well as how to mitigate and protect against potential attacks.

For more information on Cybersecurity for State Leaders, visit https://cyberforgovleaders.org/.

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The National Cybersecurity Center (NCC) is a non-profit organization established for cyber innovation and awareness. Established in 2016 from the vision of United States Senator from Colorado John Hickenlooper, in coordination with several people from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) and the community, the NCC serves both public and private organizations and individuals through training, education and research. Discover NCC at https://cyber-center.org/

National Cybersecurity Center launched cyber-hygiene app for lawmakers

Posted on by Micki Cockrille

Originally Featured on State Scoop

The nonprofit National Cybersecurity Center last week launched an app to promote cybersecurity hygiene among state lawmakers.

The “NCC-Resolute Cybersecurity app” contains a collection of best practices and cybersecurity resources, including incident-response plan templates, cybersecurity hygiene checklists, FAQs and a glossary of common cybersecurity terms. Lawmakers and their staffs can also access a cybersecurity-vulnerability assessment to gauge how well protected their information is and receive cybersecurity alerts and security updates from technology companies.

Read the Full Article Here

What State Leaders Need to Know About Cybersecurity

Posted on by Micki Cockrille

Originally Featured on Governing

As a former state chief information security officer for both Colorado and California, and the federal Department of Homeland Security’s first deputy undersecretary for cybersecurity, one of my continuing tasks was working with state lawmakers and state government executives to help them understand the multitude of issues in the cybersecurity arena. Because legislative bodies turn over fairly frequently, this was a never-ending responsibility that I took seriously and to which I devoted a significant amount of time, and still do.

State legislators and executives have formidable responsibilities to govern on complex and often technical cybersecurity issues that most have had very little experience with. The cybersecurity space is incredibly dynamic, with the threat and vulnerability environment changing almost daily, so these leaders are constantly weighing the law of unintended consequences as they address public safety on one hand and over-regulation of business on the other.

Read the Full Article Here

State Lawmakers getting crash course in cybersecurity threats and best practices

Posted on by Micki Cockrille

Originally Featured on Eminetra

Colorado Springs — Efforts are underway to improve cybersecurity practices for lawmakers in all 50 states, led by Colorado Springs experts. News 5 talked to experts about why these politicians and their staff need to be concerned about cybersecurity knowledge.

Like individuals, cybersecurity threats are a part of our daily lives. So, as far as our governments and politicians are concerned, what are our expectations about their knowledge of these crimes and how to defend against them?

Read the Full Article Here

National Cybersecurity Center Statement on Ransomware Attacks

Posted on by Micki Cockrille

Cybersecurity for State Leaders

Colorado Springs, Colorado  – The National Cybersecurity Center (NCC), a non-profit organization established to promote cyber innovation and awareness, released the following statement Thursday following the Kaseya ransomware attack:

“The recent ransomware attacks including against software company Kaseya software and on the Republican National Committee represent some of the most significant ransomware attacks to date and remind us all how vulnerable our lives, businesses, and governments are to cyber breaches,” said Harry Raduege, Lieutenant General, USAF (Ret.), Chief Executive Officer, NCC.

“America’s adversaries and bad actors around the globe are becoming more and more emboldened to engage in these attacks. The recent uptick in ransomware and supply chain attacks reminds us all that no individual, government, or business is immune from cyber threats. The best thing we can do to arm ourselves against cyber attacks is to educate ourselves on the evolving threat environment and to constantly reinforce our security posture through vigilance and proactive security measures. The National Cybersecurity Center and Google have teamed to create Cybersecurity for State Leaders, which will bring briefings on best practices in cybersecurity to state leaders in all 50 states. Cybersecurity for State Leaders is an excellent tool for state leaders to guard themselves, their state, their staffs, and their citizens against potential cyber breaches.”

Watch the ON DEMAND Cybersecurity for State Leaders Briefing here: https://cyberforgovleaders.org/register-for-training/.

Cybersecurity for State Leaders also offers on-demand workshops online featuring national cybersecurity leaders in both the public and private sector, including famed cybersecurity executive and Investor on ABC’s  Shark Tank and founder and CEO of the Herjavec Group, Robert Herjavec, former State Department Spokesperson and Undersecretary of State for Public Affairs Heather Nauert, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R-GA), Chief Information Security Officer for the Information Security Division of the U.S. Small Business Administration James Saunders, Meredith Griffanti of FTI Consulting, representatives from Google, IBM, Microsoft’s Defending Democracy Program, and more.

For more information on Cybersecurity for State Leaders, visit https://cyberforgovleaders.org/.

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The National Cybersecurity Center (NCC) is a non-profit organization established for cyber innovation and awareness. Established in 2016 from the vision of United States Senator from Colorado John Hickenlooper, in coordination with several people from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) and the community, the NCC serves both public and private organizations and individuals through training, education and research. Discover NCC at https://cyber-center.org/