Cyber connections made at Minnesota Digital Government Summit

“A large part of this is acknowledging the underlying technical risks governments have in their processes and infrastructure with respect to cyber criminals, nation state actors, hacktivists, and others who will exploit weaknesses for their own purposes, traditionally to the detriment of our communities,” explained U.S. Army Lt. Col. Brian Morgan, cyber coordination director for the Minnesota National Guard’s joint staff.

"Ransomware is a pervasive threat to our economy," Morgan said, adding that “our goal in presenting with the City of Saint Paul was to demonstrate how major ransomware events aren’t theoretical – they are very real and will happen again.”

In April, Winona County experienced a security data breach significant enough for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to activate the Minnesota National Guard’s Cyber Protection Team to assist local officials. Clarifying the military’s role in emergency scenarios like this, Morgan pointed out that Minnesota National Guard units act as a supportive element rather than taking control of local civilian systems.

"Whenever we respond to an emergency on governor's order, we're always in support of, we're never in charge," he said.

The Minnesota National Guard partners regularly with Minnesota IT Services to provide training, table-top exercises, and preventative technical resources to entities across the state upon request. Government leaders in attendance gained knowledge on both preventative resources available, as well as what to do when prevention fails, and their internal agency options run out.

"When an incident is unfolding in real time, you don't want to be exchanging business cards for the first time," said Kim Roberson, chief business technology officer for Minnesota IT Services (MNIT). Roberson, who moderated the event, made the comment during a panel discussion on crisis management and incident response and noted that pre-established relationships are critical.

Story by Maj. Nathan Wallin, Minnesota National Guard Public Affairs

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.