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.

Experts explore the tangible and intangible costs of cyber breaches and potential risk mitigation strategies.