Website Security

We are pleased to announce that our company will offer 90 days of free online privacy protection for anyone impacted by the recent accidental disclosure of private information by the California Department of Justice (DOJ).

This breach revealed the personal information of individuals who were granted or denied a concealed and carry weapons (CCW) permit between 2011-2021. The information exposed included names, addresses, dates of birth, gender, race, driver’s license numbers, and criminal histories. 

Parking in Los Angeles – especially in private paid parking lots – can be a difficult and frustrating experience. That’s why a California-based company called Metropolis Technologies introduced a more efficient procedure – no tickets, no gates, no pay machines. The transaction is handled entirely through the company’s app.

But there’s a catch. Isn’t there always? And this time it’s a pretty big one; the consequences could be anything from having your bank account hacked to putting your life in danger by having your home address easily accessible online.

We would say ransomware is back in the news, but that would suggest that it ever actually left.

However, two recent incidents that made national news headlines are frightening reminders of how pervasive this threat has become to both private and public sector entities.

It’s not breaking news to report that hackers rank among the poorest excuses for human beings on the planet. But it takes a disaster like a pandemic to reveal how awful they are.

While cities and states cope with the added stress of keeping government services accessible in these challenging times, hackers are taking advantage of their distraction by increasing ransomware attacks – locking out access to vital services until a ransom is paid for their restoration.

Yes, this is one more headache you don’t need. Yes, we can help.

Here we go again.

Last month we told you about a hack that impacted Blackbaud, one of the major players in the educational software industry, which exposed the personal and financial data of students, former students, staff, and supporters at ten different schools.

Honor Roll School Websites: Safer, Better and Free for the First Year – Find out more

While cyber security usually focuses on protecting potential threats to your email accounts or websites, social media is just as important.

Social media can be a huge benefit for public sector entities, not just for the private sector and personal brands. These platforms allow your organization to engage and connect with your community. These communications can range from event awareness to emergency alerts and everything in between.

Horror stores about ransomware have been impossible to avoid, because they just keep coming. Every month, it seems another website for a municipality, a school district, a library, a police department or some other public sector entity is invaded by computer code that locks out public officials from the essential services they provide.

Fortunately, there are ways to fight back.

As this blog is being written, the U.S. has reinstated all government services that were impacted by a shutdown that lasted about four weeks. Another shutdown is looming, if Congress and the President cannot get together on new border security legislation.

In these situations news coverage typically focuses on which agencies are closed and the financial struggles of furloughed workers. However, there is another concern that is equally significant – the increased threat of a security breach.

Click2Gov is an online billing vendor that is used by many local government websites, including those in California, Texas, Arizona, Florida and Wisconsin. As with many such payment processing applications, the only time you see their name in headlines is when something has gone wrong.

And it has.

Breaches have been reported in multiple locations this year, from Oxnard, California to Wellington Florida. In each case, customers paying a utility bill through the city’s website were later informed of a data breach.

These days security is a vital component of any website and IT network in the public sector. But federal agencies must now further step up their efforts in the wake of a recent cybersecurity Executive Order (EO 13800: Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure).

Delving into all of its details would be beyond the scope of this blog – but you are invited to contact us with any questions or concerns.