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Governor Reeves signs executive order...

Governor Reeves signs executive order for cybersecurity task force

By: Sarah Ulmer - March 5, 2020

On Wednesday, Governor Reeves addressed growing concern for governments and businesses around the world—cybersecurity. Already having participated in several sensitive discussions with his team, the Governor announced that cybersecurity was a joint priority that would include coordination between all branches of government and every state agency.

The Governor signed an executive order during the press conference, establishing a task force to be led by Attorney General Lynn Fitch to identify all of the state’s vulnerabilities and reset the cyber security standards and procedures.

“States, the federal government, and businesses are all facing daily cyber security threats. Mississippi is no different. We are taking action now. And I am grateful that our Attorney General will be at the tip of the spear,” said Governor Tate Reeves. Reeves stressed that this must be a joint priority throughout state leadership.

The task force led by Fitch, will help identify the state’s vulnerabilities and reset any cyber security standards and procedures. All executive branches of government must cooperate with the task force.

“It sets us on a path of true coordination and helps us to determine the tools we need to address these threats. We will take action now,” said Reeves.

Attorney General Lynn Fitch
“I am honored to be the chairperson for the Governor’s Cybersecurity Task Force,” said General Fitch. “Data is a critical part of our economic and physical infrastructures. I look forward to working with this task force and with the dedicated public servants who work for our state over the next eight months to develop the recommendations that will protect and defend Mississippi from cyber threats.”
The purpose of the Task Force is multi-faceted, but some of the main functions include:
  • Evaluate the cybersecurity standards and procedures currently in place by state agencies and identify vulnerabilities of systems, staffing, training, and technologies within state agencies.
  • Develop recommendations for state agencies to better protect their information technology systems against cybercrime and other malicious cyber-enabled actions.
  • Develop proposals for ongoing training of all state agencies and agency personnel to increase cybersecurity hygiene and awareness.
The other members of the task force will be named soon by the Governor. The Task Force has until October 31, 2020 to prepare and make its recommendations to the Governor.
You can find the executive order below: 
About the Author(s)
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Sarah Ulmer

Sarah is a Mississippi native, born and raised in Madison. She is a graduate of Mississippi State University, where she studied Communications, with an emphasis in Broadcasting and Journalism. Sarah’s experience spans multiple mediums, including extensive videography with both at home and overseas, broadcasting daily news, and hosting a live radio show. In 2017, Sarah became a member of the Capitol Press Corp in Mississippi and has faithfully covered the decisions being made by leaders on some of the most important issues facing our state. Email Sarah: sarah@magnoliatribune.com