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Results for: CyberSecurity

Increase your government’s account security with multi-factor authentication

October 6, 2021

Strengthening your government’s guard against the threats that compromised passwords pose is a necessary control for decreasing the risk of unauthorized users gaining access to your computers, network, or database. In this post, we explain how passwords get compromised and how multi-factor authentication (MFA) can help governments improve their account security to better protect their systems.

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A message from State Auditor Pat McCarthy: Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility

September 30, 2021

It can be tempting to think it’s the experts’ job to keep us safe online. We trust our colleagues who are IT professionals and the technology services we use to stay up to date on the latest threats. But all of us, whether or not we are technology experts, have a part to play in cybersecurity. That’s why this year’s theme for October’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month is “Do your part, #BeCyberSmart.”

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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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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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FRAUD Button on Computer Keyboard

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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