The state of Wisconsin and businesses are constantly bombarded with potential cyber attacks, according to Wisconsin Emergency Management’s Tod Pritchard. He says, sadly, it has become a “fact of life.”
Currently, the state blocks about 6 million cyber-attacks per day that target state agencies, according to Wisconsin Homeland Security. In addition, the state receives about 3.5 million incoming e-mail messages per day. Officials say about 94 percent of those messages are filtered and blocked because they are malicious.
Several people from different walks of life will put their heads together on Friday at the first cyber summit ever held in Wisconsin. The event kicks off Cyber Awareness Month with people from state and federal government, business leaders, university professionals, industry experts, and individuals. They will discuss the state’s role in cyber security and how to make systems as secure as possible.
“And talk about where are we as a state right now in terms of cyber security and what can we do better in the future and what have we already improved on.”
Cyber criminals aren’t easily recognizable, like the old masked burglars in your neighborhood. They reside in areas all over the globe. In 2012, people throughout Wisconsin lost $6.2 million through cyber rip-offs and scams. Major General Don Dunbar, Wisconsin’s Homeland Security Advisor, is heading up the summit.
The event will be held Friday (October 11, 2013) in Milwaukee at the Marquette University Ball Room.
