California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) has launched Cleared for Success (CFS), a workforce development initiative aimed at bridging talent gaps in the cybersecurity sector.

Pro-Russia hacktivists are targeting and compromising small-scale operational technology (OT) systems in North American and European critical infrastructure sectors – including water and wastewater systems (WWS), dams, energy, and food and agriculture – according to a joint fact sheet released today by leading Federal cyber agencies.

Cyberattacks against state and local governments can interrupt critical infrastructure, leak sensitive information, and cause significant financial damage. Agencies are using more security tools to thwart increasingly sophisticated attacks, but this has led to a level of complexity that overburdens security teams. MeriTalk recently sat down with Kenny Holmes, cybersecurity senior leader for government and education at Cisco, to discuss how integrated, automated solutions can help analysts quickly detect, prioritize, and remediate threats.

Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio, is teaming up with education technology company D2L to offer a free cybersecurity course for K-12 school system and technology leaders. The goal of the course is to help school leaders better understand cyber threats and identify key mitigation and prevention steps.

Security analysts in the education sector must contend with evolving cybersecurity threats despite limited resources. MeriTalk recently sat down with Helen Patton, cybersecurity executive advisor for education at Cisco, to discuss how an open, collaborative approach to threat detection and response can help streamline processes for overburdened security teams.

The Department of Energy’s (DoE) Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) has announced $15 million in funding to establish six university-based electric power cybersecurity centers that will foster collaboration across the energy sector to address gaps in energy security research and provide cybersecurity education programs. 

Michigan State Senator Sean McCann has introduced Senate Bill 737, which would establish a 24/7 security operation center (SOC) for Michigan’s higher education institutions.

The U.S. Department of Education, in coordination with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), officially launched the Government Coordinating Council (GCC) for the Education Facilities Subsector on March 28 to better support K-12 cybersecurity efforts.

2024 was the first year that artificial intelligence (AI) appeared on the National Association of State Chief Information Officers’ (NASCIO) list of top priorities for state CIOs. Also for the first time ever, digital government services and cybersecurity tied for the top priority spot.

Following the discovery of a Chinese-based hacking group compromising U.S. critical infrastructure, the White House – in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – announced plans this week to form a Water Sector Cybersecurity Task Force.