It is common practice to use automated clearing house (ACH) systems to pay state and local government employees and vendors. However, frauds associated with ACH systems are rising dramatically, particularly for direct deposit paychecks.
… CONTINUE READING →
Cybersecurity is complex, and it can be hard to understand what your role is in keeping your organization safe from threats.
The Center for Government Innovation has developed two new resources specifically for finance and legal staff at local governments. Staff in these departments play an important role in cybersecurity, and these resources provide understandable and actionable guidance and relevant information.
… CONTINUE READING →
The need to be cybersecure isn’t going away-in fact, it’s an issue that grows more relevant each day. As more local governments in Washington are the unfortunate victims of cyberattacks, the reality of the situation cannot be ignored. Visit our new webpage for more information: www.sao.wa.gov/BeCyberSmart
… CONTINUE READING →
The results from our recent cybersecurity survey are in, and they reveal governments of all sizes across Washington recognize the importance of cybersecurity. However, the majority of the governments we polled lack dedicated IT staff, let alone dedicated cybersecurity staff. To address this gap in expertise and resources, the Office of the Washington State Auditor has begun to develop resources, tools and training targeted at the specific cybersecurity issues of local governments.
… CONTINUE READING →
Local governments should ensure they protect against cybersecurity frauds in which an employee’s direct deposit payroll gets redirected to a fraudster’s bank account.
… CONTINUE READING →
Government organizations have become increasingly dependent on computerized information systems to carry out their operations. These systems process, store and share sensitive and confidential information, including personal and financial data, in order to deliver services to residents.
… CONTINUE READING →
Presented by the Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC) and sponsored by the State Auditor’s Office Performance Center, this webinar is for elected officials, managers, information technology and other staff working to keep electronic systems safe from outside interference. Share this information with your co-workers and elected officials in order to get the most out of this opportunity!
… CONTINUE READING →
The federal counterpart to the Office of the Washington State Auditor, the Governmental Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on Tuesday demonstrating the vitally important role of cybersecurity auditing in the information age. Vulnerabilities in government systems can be exploited by criminals looking to harm the public, as detailed in the GAO’s audit findings.
… CONTINUE READING →
Governments are vulnerable to cybersecurity breeches. In this way, they don’t vary much from private-sector businesses, whose sometimes spectacular cybersecurity failings grab headlines. So, as a government with limited resources, how do you prepare for the inevitability of some bad actor trying to access sensitive information?
… CONTINUE READING →
Today marks the beginning of October, a month dedicated to the awareness of cybersecurity—a distinction bestowed to October way back in 2003. Here in 2018, 2003 seems light-years away—a dim and distant past when our cybersecurity concerns centered around malicious actors gaining access to our MySpace accounts or Nigerian princes conning us out of our bank account information from the seemingly secure space of a Yahoo email account. How quaint those concerns seem against the undermining of American democracy, a target of some of today’s cybercriminals.
… CONTINUE READING →
