municipal cyber insurance News

New York Begins $30M Program to Help Municipalities Boost Cybersecurity Efforts

New York State is beginning a $30 million shared services program designed to assist counties with cybersecurity for government systems across the state, including tools to protect against ransomware attacks. In the initial part of the program, New York’s counties …

Phishing Scam Costs Massachusetts Town $102K

The Massachusetts tow nof Tewksbury has been cheated out of more than $100,000 in a phishing scam, but hopes to recover most of the money through insurance claims, the town manager said. An employee of Tewskbury received a seemingly legitimate …

German Cyber-Security Watchdog Confirms Country’s First ‘Cyber-Catastrophe’

A district council in eastern Germany has declared a disaster after its computer systems were paralyzed by a hacker attack in what the federal cyber-security watchdog confirmed was the country’s first-ever “cyber-catastrophe.” Hackers knocked out the IT operations of the …

Pandemic Amplified Security Gaps for Public Sector Cyber Officials

While the pandemic has highlighted the resilience of public sector cyber officials, it has also called attention to chronic challenges facing state information technology organizations including securing adequate budgets and talent, and coordinating security steps across agencies, a new report …

Hospital’s Ransomware Attack Exposes New Risk for Muni-Bond Issuers

Hackers have finally done what bond issuers may have feared most from cyber criminals. A ransomware attack on Pleasant Valley Hospital in West Virginia was partly responsible for the hospital’s breach of its covenant agreement, according to a notice to …

New Orleans City Government Hit by Cyber Attack; Recovery Underway

Officials announced Saturday that no data was held for ransom and that a recovery operation is getting underway after a cyberattack a day earlier triggered a shutdown of city government computers in New Orleans. Chief Information Officer Kim LaGrue, speaking …

Putting Municipal Ransomware Attacks— and Cyber Insurance —in Context

The ransomware attacks on public entities in Texas, Florida, Maryland, Georgia and elsewhere this year have raised questions not only about paying ransoms but also about the role of insurance in helping these targets get back to serving the public. …

Worried About Hackers, States Turn to Cyber Insurance

As the threat from hackers and cybercriminals intensifies, a growing number of states are buying cyber insurance to protect themselves — and taxpayers. “It’s expensive. It’s a big budget item for us. But it’s absolutely worth it,” said Michael Hussey, …