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.
- 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.
Sarah Ulmer
