Cybersecurity Policy Report, Coker Advises Mayors to Use Free Federal Cyber Tools, (Jun 25, 2024)
The nation’s mayors are being urged to take advantage of cybersecurity tools provided free of charge by the federal government and its partners to protect cities, schools, and water systems from ransomware and other cyber attacks.
“Our cities, schools, and water systems are in the untenable position of being on the front line battling against foreign adversaries on a regular basis. That puts an incredible burden on you and your teams,” Harry Coker, director of the White House Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD), said Saturday at the annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Kansas City, Missouri.
“We believe, and the President’s National Cybersecurity Strategy sets out a path to ensure, that the responsibility to protect our most critical systems from cyber threats should fall to those most able to counter this malicious activity: namely the Federal Government and the large technology companies,” Mr. Coker told the mayors, according to his prepared remarks.
“In fact, we are making sure that more resources are available to cities to prepare for, protect against, and stay resilient in the face of constantly evolving cybersecurity threats,” he said.
He cited the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program, now in its second year, which will provide $1 billion over four years to state and local governments (CPR, Aug. 7, 2023).
A more “wonky” but “really helpful tool” provided by the federal government is protective domain name service (PDNS), which “helps prevent ransomware and other cyberattacks by preventing computer systems from connecting to known harmful websites and other dangerous areas of the internet,” Mr. Coker said.
“Unlike some other solutions in cybersecurity, PDNS does so without the user having to take any action. There are no complicated passwords to remember or menu options to configure once it is set up. It just works,” he explained.
PDNS protections can be obtained free of charge by local governments, K-12 schools, and other institutions including libraries and universities by signing up at whitehouse.gov/oncd, he said, and other cybersecurity resources are also available on ONCD’s website.
“In cybersecurity, we know that your cities are under constant attack from malicious cyber actors. We are your partner,” Mr. Coker told the mayors. “Every day, we know that you are making hundreds of decisions as you run your cities. We encourage you to ensure that cybersecurity remains top of mind.”
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