Utah DEM Pilots new TEEX Cybersecurity Course
Quick, when you think, cyber incident, what is the emergency operations center’s role? What is the IT department’s role? What about others who could help? Who should help? How do you find them?
So many questions related to the emerging information on dealing with cyber incidents. The thing that makes them so different from floods or fires or an earthquake is that, generally, you know what causes a flood, fire or earthquake. It’s been documented and we know what to expect.
A cyber attack can mean so many different things and it can be difficult to know where it’s coming from. Without training, an EOC manager might throw up her hands at a cyber incident and just hope that the IT department has everything under control. The IT department might wonder why are they getting calls from the EOC.
Hence, the need for a cybersecurity course specifically for EOC’s. Utah Division of Emergency Management hosted the first such course this week. About 30 participants from around state and local government participated and provided feedback so this course can be numbered and rolled out to the rest of the nation.
The course is designed to help ensure that traditional emergency management personnel and IT personnel recognize the importance of working together to mitigate the effects of a cyber incident.
Course participants came away with a new list of the questions to be prepared to ask and expectations of what a cyber incident can mean. The course is facilitated by 10 instructors so that each EOC section can have a coach during four functional exercises.
Here’s the draft course description for the course, hopefully coming soon to other states.
Cybersecurity Incident Management and Response
— By Joe Dougherty
Public information officer
jdougherty@utah.gov
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