Karen Bridges (Of Counsel-Chicago) authored “Municipalities and schools prepared for cybersecurity defense” for the December 23, 2022, edition of Reuters Westlaw Today. The article addresses how schools and municipalities are frequent targets of ransomware attacks due to their storage of personally identifiable information like social security numbers, credit card numbers and tax information. Karen discusses how a lack of funding to combat cybersecurity breaches and protect data adequately, along with public pressure to resolve system interruptions rapidly when they occur, can force entities to handle issues quickly with little time to weigh options. Karen also explores how both state and federal regulators are responding to encourage improvement in cyber protections while at the same time “implementing measures requiring municipalities and school districts to implement the same high standards as a corporate entity.”

Read the Article.