Shad White’s office finds nearly a third of Mississippi’s state agencies fail cybersecurity requirements

According to Mississippi State Auditor Shad White, a third of state offices are at risk of cybercrimes because they have not met cybersecurity assessment requirements, in a report released yesterday, Tuesday, 7 October. The review, conducted by analysts at the State Auditor’s Office in conjunction with the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services, found that nearly one third of state agencies have not fulfilled a legal obligation to conduct a comprehensive, third‑party cybersecurity assessment.

Agencies are required to hire an outside firm to test their systems for weaknesses. The report warns that those that fail to follow the cybersecurity programme expose critical government operations to unnecessary risk. DataBreaches[.]Net notes the findings and highlights the role of the office in reporting on whether agencies have followed the steps to protect themselves from hackers.