Rep. John Katko (R-NY) recently joined federal officials in conducting a roundtable discussion focused on addressing cybersecurity threats there.
Katko recently hosted the session at the Onondaga County Water Authority with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials to assist local elected officials and municipalities in strengthening cybersecurity protections in the wake of ransomware attacks this summer.
“Ransomware attacks on state and local governments continue to increase nationwide, leaving municipalities vulnerable and facing massive costs,” Katko said. “Many cities have outdated information technology, limited budgets, and lack of cybersecurity training which can make it easier for hackers to infiltrate networks. With recent attacks on the City of Syracuse School District and the Onondaga County Public Library System, it’s clear our community is no exception.”
Katko said local governments face a series of challenges in defending their networks, adding the roundtable connected local stakeholders with DHS personnel for a discussion on identifying cybersecurity attacks, mitigating risks and planning how to respond to an attack.
Those in attendance included representatives from the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center and cybersecurity provider Crowdstrike, as well as Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh and Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon.
Katko also shared insight regarding his introduction of the State and Local Government Cybersecurity Improvement Act, which he said would provide resources and grants to help communities protect against cyberattacks.