Local Government Resources for Cyber Training

Cyber Threats: Local Government Resources for Training and Prevention

Although cyber security has been in the news for well over a decade now, attacks continue to happen, including to local governments. From phishing attacks to malicious emails or links, your employees need to understand how cyber criminals try to attack your organization.

The vast majority of cyber breaches occur due to human error. If your employees aren’t familiar with the techniques used to gain access to your network and data, they cannot be active participants in stopping it!

The Tennessee State Government and the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury have identified cyber risk for local governments as a major issue and have dedicated resources to assist them. If your organization hasn’t signed up for the #CyberSafeTN Public Service Newsletter, make sure you visit the Tennessee Cyber Hub for information about active cybersecurity vulnerabilities and threat mitigations.

In a recent #CyberSafeTN Public Service Newsletter, statewide contracts are provided from which local governments can purchase to support their cyber security training efforts. These include a Cyber Security Awareness Training contract (Contract #947) through INFOSEC, a leading provider for security training and anti-phishing campaigns. This contract allows for deeply discounted peruser pricing for the services available. To learn more about the INFOSEC state contract, visit the Central Procurement Office – Statewide Contracts area of the state’s website.

In addition to cyber security awareness training for employees, actively patching your network for known security vulnerabilities is critical for protecting your data. The Center for Internet Security publishes vulnerabilities and recommended fixes, and the TN Department of Finance & Administration is also providing descriptions of the issues and how to address them, including steps for patching.

Another area that is important for public entities to consider is how third-party vendors are being monitored on your networks. While there are legitimate reasons third parties will need to access your network, it is important to monitor the permissions, track their activity and audit their network presence. 

Cyber security will continue to be an important topic for local governments. Don’t let cyber criminals impact your ability to serve the citizens of your community!