Broadband communication has in the recent past become very popular. In fact, all the 50 states are investing heavily in this area. However, only 8 states are considered to be well prepared to cope with the cyber espionage threats that already exist as well as those emerging.
There is a serious and troubling lack of preparedness by a majority of state governments to deal with a wide range Cybersecurity threats. This is according to a recent study done by Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy at Salve Regina University released in Newport, R.I.
For full access to the study visit: State of the States On Cyber Security
Internet is important for economic growth and also for purposes of improving the quality of service. It is for this reason that all the states are investing quite heavily in the broadband communication so as to reap these benefits. However, according to Francesca Spidalieri of Pell, all the states failed to meet the overall evaluation criteria used to measure their preparedness to dealing with cyber threats.
According to Spidalieri who is a senior fellow for cyber leadership and author of this study, the study was meant to enhance awareness of state and federal governments of their role in protecting the very vital communications infrastructure and the immense data that the public has entrusted them with.
Both federal and state governments access and hold data of millions of people. The governments’ capabilities to effectively deliver services to their citizens heavily involve the use of the internet and other communication technologies as well as their ability and willingness to maintain critical infrastructure. According to Spidalieri, few state governments seem keen to paying attention to the threat of exposure and costs that cyber threats pose.
Pell conducted a study and titled it ‘State Of The States On Cybersecurity’. In the study, the organization studied whether states had strategic Cybersecurity plans in place, their data breach notification and the mechanisms they used when it came to sharing threat information. The study also focused on the formal incident response capabilities, the states’ existing Cybersecurity laws and amount set aside for Cybersecurity research and development. In this endeavor, Pell interrogated state CIOs, chief information security officers and a host of other officials employed by the state government. The organization also assessed open source data in an effort to come up with conclusive findings.
Among the states that were found to be a bit prepared in regard to dealing with existing as well as potential cybercrimes include Texas, Washington, Maryland, New York, Virginia, California, Washington and New Jersey.
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