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Results for: CyberSecurity

Cybersecurity Special Report 2022: Keeping an independent eye on government IT security

January 27, 2022

The State Auditor’s Office plays a unique role in keeping an independent eye on government IT security. We work with state and local governments to help improve their cybersecurity programs through audits and outreach activities. We’ve created a special report giving a short overview of our work and findings in the area of cybersecurity. It offers legislators, the public and government leaders information they need to help ensure our state’s critical IT systems and data remain protected.

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How to prevent ACH and bank fraud

November 18, 2021

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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Keep software current to reduce cybersecurity risk

October 26, 2021

If you’re a smaller government without your own full-time information technology staff, you might find it challenging to stay on top of IT-related maintenance. Larger entities have entire departments dedicated to maintaining computer infrastructure, while you may be working with a part-time contractor or even volunteers to meet your IT needs. And that’s okay, but remember: having the latest security software, web browser and operating system on your devices is an important defense against cyberattacks.

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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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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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