Agencies not following cybersecurity rules: State Auditor

Source Domain: www.yahoo.com

JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Cyberattacks are becoming more common in the digital age. The University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), the largest hospital in the state, was hit by a cybersecurity attack on February 19, 2026, proving that no one is immune from these attacks.

A report from the State Auditor’s Office revealed there are state agencies that are out of compliance with cybersecurity regulations.

The audit referenced the FBI Internet Crime Report, which showed that 850,000 cyber crimes were reported in 2024.

“Any time you have a data breach or a ransomware attack or anything like that, you’re always worried about getting your data back,” said State Auditor Shad White (R-Miss.).

UMMC continues recovery efforts after cyberattack, FBI assisting

Four months ago, White’s office put out a report that highlighted cyber attacks in Mississippi. It included the Hinds County ransomware attack, the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District data breach and a hack into an online meeting held by the attorney general.

White said victims of ransomware attacks usually end up having to pay the ransom. According to the report, almost one-third of state agencies have failed to meet cybersecurity requirements within the Enterprise Security Program.

The program is a bill that lawmakers passed in the 2017 session, and it’s under the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services (MDITS) to provide oversight for all state agencies. White said MDITS put into regulation that state agencies need to have their IT systems tested by an outside IT professional.

“They’re going to come in, and they’re going to test your system and see how vulnerable it is. They’re going to try to break into your network, and then they’re going to make a list of all those vulnerabilities. They’re going to give it to your IT team, and they’re going to say, ‘Here are the vulnerabilities we found. You need to fix all that stuff,’” White said.

The state auditor…

Source