Cyberattacks are occurring every day against public and private entities.  The below attack methods were discussed:

• Ransomware
• Spyware
• Adware
• Rooters
• Phishing
• SMishing
• Brute Force Hacking
• Spoofing / Swatting
• Social Engineering

Cyber crime is only likely to increase, despite the best efforts of government agencies and cybersecurity experts. Its growth is being driven by the expanding number of services available online and the increasing sophistication of cyber criminals who are engaged in a cat-and-mouse game with security experts.

The critical first step is to establish an information risk management regime that identifies the security risks it faces and the policy for dealing with them. ECCs should protect their information and communications technology by adopting standard security measures and managing how the systems are configured and used. They should also disable unnecessary functions and keep security patches up to date.  Basic cyber hygiene best practices are an excellent first step to mitigating cyberattacks.

Should an ECC experience a cyber-attack, they should:

• File a complaint with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) portal (www.ic3.gov).  In the report, include keywords such as “PSAP” and “Public Safety.”
• Contact local authorities.
• Contact the Department of Homeland Security – National Coordinating Center for Communications – National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center are all engaged in this process, and (DHS-NCC-NCCIC) can help coordinate and distribute information (Phone: (703) 235-5080, email: ncc@hq.dhs.gov).