Missouri State Auditor Releases Cybersecurity Risk Report

Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway released her list of the most common cybersecurity risks found by audits done by her office of local governments and courts. She also released the recommendations that agencies can follow to better safeguard their data. The summary of risks included the period of July 2020 to June of 2021.

The most common issues found in the audits included allowing current employees to have greater access to the computer system than what is needed for them to perform job duties, failing to promptly remove access of former employees, not requiring updated passwoods or more complex passwords, not locking computers after a certain period of inactivity, and not storing data backups at an off-site location.

Galloway also listed recommendations as a guide for local governments to provide more protection for electronic data.

Similar reports have been issued by the Missouri State Auditor’s Office since 2015.