Data and information management

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.

FactSet will become the CUSIP system's second operator on behalf of the American Bankers Association.

Experts discuss the latest ways firms are defining their value propositions and evolving their customer communications, experience and support.

Gov. Kathy Hochul's thrusts include the MTA Open Data Act; state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli launched a federal COVID-19 funding tracker.

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

The deal enhances the data, analytics and execution services the firms provide for municipal bonds and other fixed income securities, they said.

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.

S&P’s Tiffany Tribbitt and Geoffrey Buswick talk with Chip Barnett about what municipalities can do to counter the growing threat of cyber attacks and what steps cities and states can take after an incident happens. (15 minutes)

Alan Rubin, principal, Blank Rome Government Relations

Rating agencies are pushing municipal issuers to build online security risks like ransomware attacks into mitigation strategies that include more transparency.

Joseph Krist, publisher of Muni Credit News, explores state budgets, federal aid, climate change and cybersecurity. Paul Burton hosts. (34 minutes)

The transit agency's acknowledgment of an intrusion set off loud alarm bells about the rising threat of public-issuer system hacks.