Office of CyberSecurity Highlights 2016
Office of CyberSecurity Year in Review
Education outreach at middle schools and high schools
As part of an education outreach program, OCS staff goes to middle schools and high schools to generate career interest in cybersecurity and teach students how to stay safe online. In addition, the office accepts interns from in-state colleges and universities.
Developed robust cyber security training for state staff
OCS has a robust training program that includes hosting exercises with state agency leaders to help understand and respond to cyberattacks. The office also holds regular technical and policy training sessions with its staff to remain current with the latest security tools and best practices.
Participated in national, regional and local training exercises
OCS also participates in national and regional training exercises, including the Department of Defense’s Cyber Guard National Prelude exercise.
Monitoring of agencies’ compliance with security standards and best practices
In addition to maintaining constant watch over the state government network, OCS also receives annual attestation reports from all state agencies detailing their level of compliance with state security guidelines and best practices. The information gathered in 2016 will serve as the baseline by which future compliance levels will be measured.
Forged local, regional and national partnerships and created trusted relationships
OCS works with an array of federal, state and regional partners to build situational awareness and create trusted relationships. Agnes Kirk, the state’s Chief Information Security Officer, was recently selected to serve on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) State, Local, Tribal, and Private Sector Policy Advisory Committee.
Kirk also sits on the: DHS Advisory Council Subcommittee on Cyber Security; Federal Chief Information Security Officer Advisory Board. She’s served on the Executive Committee of the Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center.
