Cybersecurity Primer for County Leaders

The cybersecurity threats to our governments cannot be understated. These are not theoretical threats. Breaches are happening right here in New York. Hackers are trying to access your systems right now, as you are reading this Primer. They are sending emails to county employees, they are looking for vulnerabilities in your website, and they are looking for ways into your databases. They want to disrupt your work, destroy your systems, exploit your data, and hold it ransom for payment.

This Cybersecurity Primer for County Leaders is designed to increase awareness of existing threats and raise the baseline of understanding of cybersecurity so local leaders are better prepared to protect and defend the information systems and data we all rely on to operate government and serve residents.