In 2022, state and Federal policymakers significantly accelerated their efforts to help K-12 institutions across the U.S. shore up their cybersecurity defenses, a new report by the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) says.

Cybersecurity firm Emsisoft’s tally of publicly disclosed ransomware attacks in 2022 included 105 counties, 45 school districts, 44 colleges and universities, and over two dozen healthcare providers.

Dallas city leaders have launched a new tool to help residents protect themselves against cybersecurity threats, a free app dubbed “Dallas Secure.”

The Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Utilities Services (RUS) stated in a Federal Register notice that they have implemented the provisions of the 2018 Farm Bill that authorizes the agency, for the first time, to provide loans for stand-alone cybersecurity projects in rural communities.

Following an increase in fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic, state and local government (SLG) organizations are sharpening their focus on identity and access management (IAM) to fend off cybersecurity threats.

The Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) has published its 2022 Biennial Performance Report that tracks state agencies’ technology progress in fiscal years 2021 and 2022, and set forth tech goals for the next five years.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a Nov. 16 report that Federal agencies need to up their ransomware assistance for state, local, Tribal, and territorial (SLTT) government organizations – including schools – by improving interagency collaboration, awareness, outreach, communication, and coordination with schools.

The United States K-12 sector saw a three percent increase in cybersecurity maturity from 2021 to 2022 with schools generally performing well in identity management and access control, awareness and training, and business environment. 

New research from Lookout finds that mobile threats affecting Federal, state, and local governments are on the rise. Lookout, a provider of endpoint-to-cloud security, said that mobile phishing and device vulnerability risks within government agencies has increased since 2021.

A Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency (CISA) funded diversity program has expanded to 10 additional Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) after its initial launch last year, according to a Sept. 21 press release from CYBER.ORG.