JACKSON, Miss. —
Mississippi lawmakers are addressing cybersecurity threats as ransomware attacks disrupt county and city government websites across the state.
Experts briefing members of the State Senate Cybersecurity Committee described the growing risks posed by cyberattacks, noting that dozens of local government websites were knocked offline after their hosting company was targeted.
“When you look at what’s happening today, you see why we’re doing this. Virtually every county, the city of Vicksburg,” Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said.
Hosemann added that the University of Mississippi Medical Center, the Institutions of Higher Learning, and Holmes Community College have also been hit by cyberattacks this year.
Some have suggested it may not be a coincidence that these ransomware incidents are occurring during Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
“But I think what’s likely is just the broad threat levels that we are seeing against targets that, perhaps, don’t have a high degree of cyber hygiene practice. They don’t have the funding to support that,” Douglas Robinson of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers said.
State Sen. Bradford Blackmon, D-Madison County, emphasized the rapid pace of technological advancement as a factor in the increasing frequency of attacks.
“It’s been ongoing for the past couple of years, and it’s just been expanding in the way that technology is advancing day by day. Things that used to take a week [are] evolving in hours,” Blackmon said.
Experts also warned that states are not prepared for the growing prominence of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity threats.
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