CyberSecurity Archives - Office of the Washington State Auditor

Results for: CyberSecurity

Text reading: "Information on the cyber incident and how our office is addressing it"

Frequently asked questions regarding a data breach at SAO’s third-party service provider

February 4, 2021

The Office of the Washington State Auditor uses a third-party service provider, Accellion, to transmit data files in our audits. Accellion had a security incident in December, and announced it in January. On Monday, Feb. 1, Auditor Pat McCarthy announced that among other items, the information from 1.6 million unemployment claims might have been accessed by an unauthorized user. The investigation is ongoing.

Here are some questons and answers about this breach.

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Third-party service provider’s security incident compromised Washingtonians’ personal information

February 1, 2021

A security incident involving a third-party provider of hosted software services, which was used by the Office of the Washington State Auditor, might have exposed sensitive data belonging to Washingtonians.

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SAO making our outgoing emails cyber-safer

November 12, 2020

The State Auditor’s Office is changing some of the emails we send every week to better align with cybersecurity best practices.

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Has your government experienced a cybersecurity issue? Here is when and how to report

October 7, 2020

Some security breaches are required to be reported to the Washington State Attorney General’s Office (AGO), and sometimes you need to report various cybersecurity issues to the State Auditor’s Office, too! Of course, we hope you have none, but if you find yourself in this spot – here is some important information that can help you comply with law.

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It’s 2020 – better #BeCyberSmart

October 1, 2020

It’s that time of year again, when villains, creeps and other dangerous characters are testing the locks and doors in your neighborhood ― virtually. October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a chance to be sure you are doing your part to protect yourself and the value data and systems that keep public services working.

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How to prevent ACH and bank fraud

September 18, 2020

Automated Clearing House (ACH) frauds have been on the rise for a while, and we want to tell you some simple steps you can take to properly verify ACH and payroll bank account changes before making changes.

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Center for Internet Security, a national cybersecurity leader, lauds Auditor’s Office

August 7, 2020

CIS is known for developing an array of cybersecurity controls and leading practices that can help organizations of all sizes protect their IT systems and data. In June, CIS recognized our cybersecurity auditors for their work applying the CIS Controls system to help Washington’s state and local governments.

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Reduce your cyber risk while working from home

April 22, 2020

As local government workers get accustomed to working from home, there are a couple things our information technology experts here at the State Auditor’s Office consider to be some especially risky areas. This blog post covers the highest risk areas.

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Ransomware goes nuclear

February 28, 2020

Make no mistake about it, organizations are fighting a war against ransomware. As in any war, it helps to know when your adversary’s strategy changes in a major way. And that is exactly what has been happening in the past few months, according to Roger A. Grimes, a cybersecurity expert with KnowBe4, a cybersecurity training company.

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Check out these free cybersecurity resources!

October 31, 2019

Often local governments cite lack of resources for why they cannot move forward with their cybersecurity program – but did you know there are many resources available at no cost to you?

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The Audit Connection Blog

Results for: CyberSecurity