New Indiana Legislation Increases Cyber Incident Reporting

In Indiana, the state legislature recently passed a bill that would make it easier for government agencies to share information about cyber incidents. The legislation is designed to help protect critical infrastructure and other public assets from cyber threats.

The new law requires all government entities in Indiana, including colleges, universities, water providers, and telecommunications companies, to report any cybersecurity incident that affects their operation or impacts private data. Affected corporations have two business days to report the incident after discovery and provide details on how it occurred to The Indiana Office of Technology. 

The bill allows IoT to work more closely with other state agencies and advise local governments by providing lists of third-party vendors that could be useful when responding to cyber-attack incidents.

Why is the State Government Taking an Interest in Cyber Incidents in Indiana?

The state government is interested in cyber incidents because they can affect critical infrastructure and other public assets, which are often the primary responsibility of the state. Cyber attacks on these entities may have devastating consequences to citizens who depend on them.

State and local governments keep constant contact with one another. If a center has been breached, there is an increased risk of compromise to other organizations. Think of the legislature as your neighbor calling you with an update on a recent home security breach. You would want to know what’s happening in your neighborhood to protect your property.

Has Cyber Crime Risen in Indiana?

Indiana has long been known for its manufacturing industry. But, it is now also a major IT powerhouse with many IT firms settling in the state and creating thousands of jobs. With this growth comes an increase in cybercrime, affecting not only the institutions but also the state’s residents. 

What are the Effects of Cybercrime on Businesses in Indiana?

Identity theft, ransomware, and data breaches are all examples of cybercrime. Cybercriminals might not be able to commit a crime in person, but they can do so using IT networks if given enough time. Additional common crimes include denial of service, privacy policy violation, malware, and fraud.

A primary effect of cybercrime is financial and can include many different types of profit-driven criminal activities. These may consist of ransomware attacks, email and internet fraud, credit card, or other payment card information theft. In summary, any attempts to exploit your information for their gains.

Cybercriminals can be individuals with relatively few technical skills or members of highly organized global groups with significant skill sets in programming and cybersecurity. To reduce detection and avoid prosecution, these criminals typically choose to operate from countries with weak laws against hacking, digital crime, and theft of proprietary information.

Businesses may choose to work with a trusted provider of IT services in Morgan County to secure your data and online activities. Professional companies can use encryption, secure authentication, and other methods to keep your information safe.

Understand that the more you have secure systems, the more clients will trust you with their personal information. This is more important when operating an online business.