On the heels of a cyberattack that grounded city services in Atlanta, employees entrusted with protecting their agencies trained on how to thwart attacks during two courses at the University of West Florida. The UWF Center for Cybersecurity partnered with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Texas A&M Engineering Extension Services to host the courses on May 10-11 at the UWF Conference Center. Employees from the FDLE, Escambia County Board of County Commissioners, Escambia County School District, Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners and First Judicial Circuit of Florida, among others, participated in the training sessions less than two months after the ransomware attack in Atlanta. “I think the best solutions are always the collaborative ones, so that we can combine efforts to bring more cybersecurity knowledge and awareness to the community and enhance the resiliency of our region and state,” said Dr. Eman El-Sheikh, UWF Center for Cybersecurity director.
The first course focused on examining various types of cyberattacks, how communities are vulnerable to attacks and incidents and what types of organizations are targeted. The second course provided strategies and processes to increase cyber resilience. Participants analyzed cyber threats, evaluated the process for developing a cyber preparedness program and discovered little to no cost resources to help build cyber resilience.
Molly Akin, special agent supervisor with the FDLE, cited crimes against children, fraud, theft of intellectual property, network intrusions, business email compromises, denial of service and website defacements as cybercrimes her agency investigates.
Full Article: UWF NewsroomUWF Center for Cybersecurity partners with FDLE to enhance cybersecurity – UWF Newsroom.