Monthly Archives: March 2022

FBI Warning – Cyber Actors Target U.S. Election Officials with Invoice-Themed Phishing Campaign

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is warning U.S. election and other state and local governments about invoice-themed phishing emails that could be used to harvest officials’ login credentials. If successful, this activity may provide cyber actors with sustained, undetected access to a victim’s systems.

The FBI judges cyber actors will likely continue or increase their targeting of U.S. election officials with phishing campaigns in the lead-up to the 2022 U.S. midterm elections.

For more information about this threat and recommendations to reduce the risk of compromise, see the full alert from the FBI below.

2022-03-31T12:11:10-04:00March 31, 2022|
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Expanding the Nation’s Cybersecurity Workforce: A National Imperative


Join Cyber Florida’s own Staff Director Dr. Ron Sanders and the National Academy of Public Administration on April 5th for the Expanding the Cybersecurity Workforce: A National Imperative forum.

At least a half-million cybersecurity positions in the U.S. are unfilled. Demand for cyber professionals continues to outstrip the supply, and closing that gap is now a national imperative.  As a result, it is a priority of the Biden Administration, Congress, and the new National Cybersecurity Director Chris Inglis, who has been invited to provide remarks at the forum.

This event will focus on ways to close the gap on the current shortage of cybersecurity professionals, focusing on non-traditional approaches to training, educating, developing, and ultimately expanding the cyber talent pipeline, as well as other alternatives that can be implemented.

This event will include a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Sanders, Staff Director for the Florida Center for Cybersecurity and Academy Fellow. Panelists include:

  • Dr. Alissa Abdullah, Deputy CSO and Senior Vice President of Emerging Corporate Security Solutions, Mastercard
  • Dr. Diana Burley, Vice Provost for Research from American University and a leading cyber workforce educator
  • Dr. Tony Coulson, Executive Director and Professor, California State University at San Bernardino; Director of the CAE Community in Cyber Defense Education
  • Dr. Costis Toregas, Director of the Cybersecurity and Privacy Research Institute, George Washington University; Academy Fellow
2022-04-06T11:12:30-04:00March 30, 2022|
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Can the US Economy and National Interests Survive Our Inconsistent Approach to Cybersecurity?

watch the webcast

Join us on March 30, 2022, at 2:00 PM EST for the first program in the Cybersecurity TV Thought Leader Series, featuring Cyber Florida’s executive director HON Mike McConnell, VADM, USN, Retired. VADM McConnell will be interviewed by Dan Turissini, CEO of Educare of Northern Virginia, Deputy Chair, AFCEA Homeland Security Committee to discuss the potential impacts of the U.S. approach to cybersecurity on our economy and national interests.

2022-07-19T09:32:37-04:00March 29, 2022|
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CISA Call with Critical Infrastructure Partners on Potential Russian Cyberattacks Against the U.S.

CISA Director Jen Easterly, Deputy Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity Matt Hartman, and Tonya Ugoretz, Deputy Assistant Director for the FBI’s cyber division, encouraged organizations of all sizes to have their Shields Up to cyber threats and take proactive measures now to mitigate risk to their networks.
 
They encouraged those on the line to visit https://www.CISA.gov/Shields-Up to take action to protect their organizations and themselves and urged all critical infrastructure providers to implement the mitigation guidelines enumerated on https://www.CISA.Gov/Shields-Up.
 
CISA echoed the President’s warning on the call and reinforced the urgent need for all organizations, large and small, to act now to protect themselves against malicious cyber activity. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2022-03-28T12:21:09-04:00March 28, 2022|
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A Statement by President Biden on Our Nation’s Cybersecurity

“This is a critical moment to accelerate our work to improve domestic cybersecurity and bolster our national resilience. I have previously warned about the potential that Russia could conduct malicious cyber activity against the United States, including as a response to the unprecedented economic costs we’ve imposed on Russia alongside our allies and partners. It’s part of Russia’s playbook.”

President Biden has issued an urgent warning to U.S. businesses to harden their cybersecurity. To read the full statement, visit: http://ow.ly/MuMk50IqhSH

For additional guidance on how to improve your organizational cybersecurity posture, check out the Cyber Florida Threat Room at https://cyberflorida.org/threat-room/

2022-03-23T15:07:20-04:00March 23, 2022|
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A Statement by President Biden on Our Nation’s Cybersecurity

March 21, 2022, The White House – This is a critical moment to accelerate our work to improve domestic cybersecurity and bolster our national resilience. I have previously warned about the potential that Russia could conduct malicious cyber activity against the United States, including as a response to the unprecedented economic costs we’ve imposed on Russia alongside our allies and partners. It’s part of Russia’s playbook. Today, my Administration is reiterating those warnings based on evolving intelligence that the Russian Government is exploring options for potential cyberattacks.

From day one, my Administration has worked to strengthen our national cyber defenses, mandating extensive cybersecurity measures for the Federal Government and those critical infrastructure sectors where we have authority to do so, and creating innovative public-private partnerships and initiatives to enhance cybersecurity across all our critical infrastructure. Congress has partnered with us on these efforts — we appreciate that Members of Congress worked across the aisle to require companies to report cyber incidents to the United States Government.

My Administration will continue to use every tool to deter, disrupt, and if necessary, respond to cyberattacks against critical infrastructure. But the Federal Government can’t defend against this threat alone. Most of America’s critical infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector and critical infrastructure owners and operators must accelerate efforts to lock their digital doors. The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has been actively working with organizations across critical infrastructure to rapidly share information and mitigation guidance to help protect their systems and networks

If you have not already done so, I urge our private sector partners to harden your cyber defenses immediately by implementing the best practices we have developed together over the last year. You have the power, the capacity, and the responsibility to strengthen the cybersecurity and resilience of the critical services and technologies on which Americans rely. We need everyone to do their part to meet one of the defining threats of our time — your vigilance and urgency today can prevent or mitigate attacks tomorrow.

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For additional guidance on how to improve your organizational cyber posture, visit the Cyber Florida Threat Room.
2022-03-22T13:07:54-04:00March 22, 2022|
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Perimeter Redefined – Network Security in the Age of a Hybrid Workforce


With a global pandemic forcing government agencies to work remotely, cyber attacks on the rise across all levels of government, and cyber warfare an ever-looming threat, cybersecurity has never been more critical to public sector organizations, or more challenging.

The perimeter of work has expanded as we know it and in doing so, securing a hybrid workforce has become synonymous with a focus on network security strategies. What adjustments are state and federal leaders making to shift to long-term and sustainable plans on how to grow their cyber infrastructure and cyber hygiene? Join Cyber Florida’s own Ernie Ferraresso on March 23 to explore his considerations and recommendations in securing this more expanded perimeter.

Through the Cybersmart TV series, Nextgov and Route Fifty will team up with Carahsoft and its partners to drive the government conversation around cybersecurity. Now in its fourth year, the Cybersmart brand will feature conversations with top federal, defense, state, and local officials examining the biggest trends, best practices, and challenges in cybersecurity.

2022-04-01T10:16:01-04:00March 22, 2022|
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The Maritime and Control Systems Cybersecurity Conference


The Maritime and Control Systems Cybersecurity Con – Hack the Port 22 is a hybrid cybersecurity event by MISI and DreamPort inspired by U.S. Cyber Command. The Conference will be held in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on March 21-25 at the Greater Ft. Lauderdale Convention Center.

Cyber Florida’s own Staff Director Dr. Ron Sanders will be participating in the workforce development panel on March 23 – this is an event you won’t want to miss!

2022-04-01T10:16:18-04:00March 21, 2022|
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2022-04-22T10:46:03-04:00March 21, 2022|
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