The threat of cybercrime against municipalities continues to mutate into more sophisticated and life-threatening schemes, say economists and rating agencies.

Ransomware group LockBit threatened on Sunday to publish the stolen data Tuesday evening. Ransomware experts said it was likely that the group was bluffing.

With cyberattacks on the rise, issuers have had to keep fortifying their defenses against criminals targeting the public sector. 

While the SEC's cybersecurity rule does not apply to municipal issuers, there are a few points discussed in the Adopting Release that may be useful for municipal market participants. 

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli urged state agencies to do more to protect water systems from cyberattacks as Moody's Investors Service said cyber risks pose challenges to municipalities across the United States.

Through proposed SEC regulations, federal grants and cybersecurity insurance, areas of the public finance industry are adjusting to costly and omnipresent cyber threats. 

The increasing number and frequency of cyber attacks against municipalities is a cause for credit concern, S&P Global Ratings says.

The California Department of Finance aids the governor in drafting the preliminary budget that is released in January.

Increased use of third-party vendors by transportation issuers may be putting those entities at increased risk.

Upgrading the agency's technology could make information exchange more secure.

Scammers are masquerading as the IRS’ Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division to try and get issuers and borrowers to disclose confidential information.

Municipal governments have become a target for online criminals. Experts warn their neglect of cybersecurity puts finances, services and vital records at risk.

Shortly after New Jersey state lawmaker Shama Haider introduced a bill to strengthen cybersecurity defenses, her own town of Tenafly faced a ransomware attack.

Howard Globus, founder and CEO of IT-on-demand.com, talks with Chip Barnett about what municipalities should do before, during and after a cybersecurity attack to keep their systems secure from hackers. (19 minutes)

Several states have passed, or are considering, legislation to bar local governments from making payments to criminals who hold computer systems hostage.

The sector is a target-rich environment due to the large amount of sensitive data that healthcare entities maintain for patient care and operations.

The Port of Los Angeles launched a Cyber Resilience Center that protects not only port administration systems, but the shipping companies that berth there.

“Compromised systems can directly affect public finance entities in the near term,” says Fitch's Omid Rahmani, citing ransomware risks.

In the last decade Omid was involved in cyber security issues.

Cyber criminals threaten the safety of patients and the financial health of hospitals. The life-and-death stakes underscore the importance of online security.