State cybersecurity officials suggest cyber hygiene must evolve for safety

TLDR:

• Cybersecurity hygiene needs to evolve to combat increasing cyber threats.
• Bad cyber hygiene can have devastating consequences, as seen in the cyberattack on a water utility station in Pennsylvania.

Cybersecurity experts at the Billington State and Local Cybersecurity Summit emphasized the importance of evolving cyber hygiene practices to match the ever-evolving cyber threat landscape. State cybersecurity officials, such as Wisconsin’s Chief Information Security Officer Troy Stairwalt, highlighted the need for organizations to adopt fast attack and response strategies to protect against cyber threats. The consequences of bad cyber hygiene were demonstrated in a cyberattack on a water utility station in Pennsylvania, where an Iranian-backed hacking group disabled the monitor using a default password. To improve cybersecurity, experts advocate for a shared-responsibility model and increased cyber awareness among all employees.