Three chief information security officers of Iowa companies spoke to cybersecurity professionals during Pratum’s Secure Iowa conference on Sept. 21 about the role of a CISO and their approaches to making information security decisions. Speakers included:Meg Anderson, CISO, Principal Financial Group.James Johnson, CISO, John Deere.Ben Schmitt, CISO, Mary Greeley Medical Center. Here are…
The Department of Management Office of the Chief Information Officer has announced expanded scalable security services for educational institutions and nonprofit organizations in Iowa. According to a news release, schools, school districts and nonprofits now have access to a lower cost of $8.24 per month, per device, which makes accessing…
As part of a $12 million, six-project effort by the U.S. Department of Energy, Gelli Ravikumar, a research assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Iowa State University, is leading a research team to develop cybersecurity systems that prevent, detect and mitigate attacks on renewable energy sources sending power…
House File 2461, which passed the Iowa House unanimously March 2, would make the development and deployment of ransomware illegal in Iowa except in cases of testing or research. The bill defines ransomware as “a computer or data contaminant, encryption or lock that is placed or introduced into a computer,…
Iowa-based information-security company Pratum has announced it will be acquired by Infinite Group Inc., a cybersecurity company based in New York. Pratum will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary under IGI’s umbrella, joining its Cybersecurity and Cyber Lab divisions, according to a release. IGI will add Pratum’s SOC/XDR and consulting…
The most recent Principal Financial Wellbeing Index found that more than 1 in 4 businesses surveyed experienced a cybersecurity attack in 2021 and among those attacks, more than half were successful. In about one-third of the attacks, ransomware was involved and hackers were able to access confidential data. The businesses’…
The U.S. Small Business Administration is launching the Cybersecurity for Small Business Pilot Program and allocating $3 million in new funding to help emerging small business owners develop their cybersecurity infrastructure, SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman announced Friday. “Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, small businesses have adopted technology at high rates…
Millions of devices are vulnerable to cyberthreats due to a bug in the software tool known as Log4j. The flaw was made public two weeks ago on Dec. 9, and allows hackers to remotely execute code on an organization’s systems, giving them an open door to steal data, mine cryptocurrency…
The information technology agency serving the Virginia Legislature was hit by a ransomware attack Friday that has caused significant damage, the Associated Press reports. The malware damaged “all of the agency’s internal servers, including those for bill drafting, the budget system and the General Assembly voicemail system,” according to an email…
The Business Record began releasing results from the 2021 Leader’s Survey in the Nov. 26 print edition. Our annual survey asks business leaders to share what they feel are some of the top issues affecting business in Central Iowa, and in particular the Greater Des Moines region. The following is a selection…