In response to the increasing number of cyberattacks on US municipalities, State Senator Kristen Gonzalez is advocating for increased cybersecurity measures among governmental entities in New York.
Gonzalez’s proposal mandates the use of multifactor authentication for both local and remote access to networks, and for public websites to employ encryption while adhering to basic privacy standards. The proposed measure gained the approval of the Senate Internet and Technology Committee on Monday.
Cyberattacks, including ransomware incidents, have surged across the US in recent years, affecting various sectors including government and education.
Gonzalez cited more than 36,000 ransomware attacks in the country since 2017, with New York state entities subjected to hundreds of such attempts. The disruptive potential of these attacks was underscored by a 2022 incident where a cyberattack resulted in Suffolk County’s government services being offline for weeks and impeded email access for public workers.
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