Author Archive
Emerging Tech
States want to see some digital ID before you visit that porn site
Louisiana requires age verification software to prevent minors viewing adult content. Even as the law has inspired copycat legislation, critics are raising privacy and free speech concerns.
Emerging Tech
States recognizing DAOs as they embrace blockchain
Utah is the latest to recognize decentralized autonomous organizations as legal entities, as state leaders wrestle with the future of smart contracts and corporate governance.
Cybersecurity
Florida city water cyber incident allegedly caused by employee error
Al Braithwaite, the former city manager of Oldsmar, Florida, said the 2021 episode was not caused by outside hackers but was instead a “non-event” sparked by user error.
Cybersecurity
State cyber workforce challenges reaching ‘crisis levels’
By marketing themselves better and adapting to remote work, states can attract and retain more cybersecurity workers, a new report suggests.
Cybersecurity
Remember user experience in the zero trust journey
Education, user-friendly technologies and leadership buy in can help bring employees onboard.
Cybersecurity
ChatGPT could make phishing more sophisticated
The latest version’s greater “steerability” allows users to vary the style and tone of generated text to make scams even harder to detect.
Cloud & Infrastructure
Modernization takes agencies from service providers to service brokers
Enterprise IT teams should focus on making services easier for staff and residents to access and engage with, one state CIO said.
Cybersecurity
Password mismanagement still at the heart of security issues
While many government employees reuse credentials that have been compromised and put online, one expert warned MFA is not the “silver bullet” solution.
Cloud & Infrastructure
Satellite internet can fill broadband gaps
As the price of the technology comes down, low-Earth orbit satellites can complement fiber and wireless in helping close the digital divide, experts said.
Emerging Tech
Machine learning too expensive for state archives – for now
The Oregon State Archives will pivot from machine learning to advanced analytics for streamlining management of several terabytes of new data.
Emerging Tech
Innovation thrives when governments embrace next-gen public-private partnerships
By rethinking how sectors collaborate and encouraging long-term institutional relationships, communities can get the most out of technology projects, one expert said.
Cloud & Infrastructure
Broadband equity means access and adoption, not just infrastructure rollouts
Governments should not just install new infrastructure but ensure residents can take advantage of the access, experts say.
Cloud & Infrastructure
FedRAMP, StateRAMP cultivate small biz providers
Leaders from the federal and state cloud security authorization programs said they want to “open the aperture” for small businesses that offer secure services to government agencies.
Cybersecurity
National cyber strategy ‘promising’ for state, local governments
While some groups applauded the Biden administration’s pledge to prioritize cybersecurity and help small governments fight attacks, others said more technical assistance and federal funding is needed.
Emerging Tech
Quantum ‘ecosystems’ can flourish with government partners
States looking to nurture the technology should work with academia, startups and industry to build quantum research clusters and a trained workforce, a recent report said.
Cybersecurity
Drone cybersecurity assessment program launches
The certification of commercial drones will help governments ensure the devices meet supply chain cybersecurity requirements.
Cybersecurity
Unpatched, known vulnerabilities still key driver of cyberattacks
Separate research reports find that vulnerabilities for which patches have already been issued remain hackers’ primary way into an organization.
Cybersecurity
Southern states have the most open cyber exposures, report finds
The 14 states in that region have more than 100,000 vulnerabilities, misconfigurations and data leaks that all must be addressed to prevent attacks, researchers found.
Cybersecurity
Workforce gaps could impact zero trust rollout
The cyber-cloud skills shortfall in state government could slow down zero trust implementation, but there are ways to reduce the deficit.
Cloud & Infrastructure