These were just a few of the topics discussed as common threads throughout the conference panels.

Oklahoma joins the ranks of state and local governments struck by hackers, fueling concerns about the escalating risk of such attacks on municipalities.

Rick Kolman and Rachel Washburn of Academy Securities talk with Chip Barnett about the firm's robust geopolitical intelligence capabilities. They discuss today's hot topics such as China-U.S. relations and Hong Kong, North Korea, Iran, Turkey and Venezuela. And they look at the importance that cybersecurity has for municipal bond issuers.

Texas officials say the attacks appear to be coming from a single source.

Data from so-called smart devices can trigger catastrophe for muni issuers if mishandled.

Veteran-owned Academy Securities has hired Chicago-based public finance banker James Carter

Security risks are escalating, a reality that's changing the market's views on credit risk and disclosure. Join us for a conversation with S&P Global's Geoff Buswick and The Cybersecurity Company's Jon Savage, as they explore how the municipal industry is addressing rapidly escalating security risks.

Baltimore is locked out of many of its computer systems by online hijackers demanding more than $100,000 worth of bitcoins to restore them to the city.

The port's initiative is a credit-positive approach to the risk of online attacks, according to Moody's Investors Service.

In the first part of a two-part podcast, Emilie Mazzacurati, CEO of Four Twenty Seven, discusses the challenges financial firms and state and local governments face when it comes to climate change, adaptation and resilience. And in a second part, The Bond Buyer's Northeast Regional Editor Paul Burton chats about green bonds, climate change and resilience, and cybersecurity. Chip Barnett hosts.