Laws vary by state. That’s expected. Fairbanks, Alaska, enacted a law prohibiting the provision of alcoholic beverages to moose, so don’t even think about it. In a part of Washington State, good luck trying to kill Bigfoot. (Not because Bigfoot doesn’t exist, but specifically because it’s illegal per a 1969 law.) But what happens when state-specific regulations are used to address a topic that transcends geographic boundaries like, say, the internet?

Out of 10 key metrics tracked quarterly to establish the state of ransomware activity, only one metric stayed static from Q1 to Q3 2022. The other nine all worsened. That’s an alarming trend, especially given that many business leaders hoped to see ransomware activity taper off after a historic surge during the peak of the pandemic. Ivanti, together with Cyber Security Works and Cyware, collaborated on the just-released report.

It’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month. For a CIO, this is like the holidays, and there’s lots to celebrate and lots to do. By reading this, you’re helping me check something off my list: I want everyone in the IT and security landscape to know how these two teams can work together for a more efficient, productive and secure enterprise. To those outside the departments, IT and security teams are often conflated.