STATE COLLEGE, Pa. —Mission Critical Partners (MCP), a leading provider of data- integration, consulting, network, and cybersecurity solutions, today announced the launch of a new advanced training program aimed to prepare public safety and justice agencies to be cognizant of cyberattack threats, why and how they work, and how to strengthen their defenses against them.
Cybersecurity continues to be a persistent challenge for government agencies, including those operating in the public safety, justice, and other mission-critical sectors. These entities must be constantly vigilant in their efforts to prevent breaches, a task made incredibly difficult given the ingenuity of cyberattackers, the increasing quantity of attacks targeting the public sector, and the reality that attack vectors evolve by the hour.
According to David S. Jones, president of MCP’s lifecycle management services division, employees are the first level of defense in mitigating an organization’s cybersecurity risk. In 2021, ransomware attacks increased more than 300 compared with the same period in 2020. Moreover, a massive number of new records landed in dark web data markets, giving cybercriminals added fuel to execute phishing attacks, typically via emails that appear at first glance to be legitimate. The goal is to entice the recipient to unwittingly unleash malware by opening the email or clicking on an attachment.
Such attacks increasing are becoming increasingly problematic. According to CSO, a publication for chief security officers and chief information security officers, 94 percent of malware—ransomware is a specific type of malware—is delivered via email, and phishing attacks account for more than 80 percent of reported cybersecurity incidents.
Here’s more evidence: Verizon reportedly discovered, in an examination of thousands of security incidents, that malware arrived on computers via email 94 percent of the time.
“A large percentage of employees are unable to recognize sophisticated phishing attempts,” Jones said. “To mitigate that risk, mission-critical agencies must commit to, at a minimum, annual cybersecurity awareness training because of how quickly attack vectors evolve, including simulated phishing attempts.”
MCP’s training program is designed specifically for public-sector agencies and is available as two separate training courses:
1. Advanced Cybersecurity for Leadership—This course is designed for an organization’s leadership and will educate them regarding the importance of cybersecurity and, on a high level, how to achieve it. The goal of this course is to ensure that those in the leadership program can develop a solid foundational strategy for defending against cyberattacks.
2. Advanced Cybersecurity for the Front-Line Employee—This course will educate front-line staff, including telecommunicators and supervisors, regarding the importance of good cyber-hygiene practices, the latest threats that are emerging, and how to identify and take ownership of their role in improving the cybersecurity posture of their organization.
Each course consists of two, two-hour classes that will be available virtually or on site. The first virtual course, for leadership, will begin on September 27, 2021, and will be limited to 25 participants for a fee of $400 per participant. Register here. The first virtual course, for front-line employees, will begin on October 18, 2021, andwill be limited to 25 participants for a fee of $400 per participant. Register here.