Defending Against Cyberattacks! What to Ask to Make Sure You are Safe

Court Leader's Advantage

Tuesday, October 5, 2021, Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast Episode

A cyberattack is truly a different kind of threat, but that threat is real and growing. It takes a different kind of approach to defend against such an attack. Different questions need to be asked well before an attack occurs. Cybersecurity experts advise that having responses to these questions is essential to effectively preparing for and responding to an attack. In this episode we are talking to several court professionals who have endured a cyberattack on their court. We will be exploring questions on how to prepare your court to defend against an attack:

· What questions do you need to ask your IT professionals?

· How do you convince a funding body to spend the needed resources on cybersecurity?

· Do you have a realistic plan to conduct court business without your case management system or even computers for weeks possibly even months?

· How can you effectively train staff to respond to a cyberattack?

· Does your Continuity of Operations Plan (your COOP) even address the implications of a cyberattack?

Today's Panelists

Kevin Bowling is the Court Administrator for the 20th Circuit Court in Ottawa County, Michigan. Kevin is also co-chair of the National Center for State Courts’ Joint Technology Committee and has helped develop three resource bulletins to assist court managers with handling cyberattacks. Kevin received his B.A. in Political Science/Public Administration from Providence College, Providence, Rhode Island; a M.S. in Judicial Administration from the University of Denver College of Law; a J.D. from Thomas M.Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan, and is a Fellow of the Institute for Court Management.

Julia Hidy is the Court Administrator for the Probate Court in Fayette County, Ohio. Julia is a graduate of the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Certified Court Management Program in 2014, she has been seasoned by events such as an extensive conversion of the case management system in 2014, Fayette County’s extensive ransomware/malware attack of June, 2019, subsequent case management update in September, 2019, and the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Casey Kennedy is the Director for the Office of Court Information Services at the Office of State Court Administration in Austin, Texas. . Casey is currently the chair of the Court Information Technology Officer Consortium, a national organization of Court IT professionals. He holds a BA in Computer Science from The University of Texas at Austin.

Jorge Basto is the Director of IT Programs for the Cherokee County Clerk of Courts in Canton, Georgia. A graduate of Georgia State University, Jorge has remained active in both local and national industry organizations and has been highlighted in the Gov Tech and ComputerWorld publications.

Montrella Jackson is the Court Administrator for the Akron Municipal Court, in Akron, Ohio. Montrella received a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science and the Arts and subsequently earned a law degree from the University of Akron School of Law. She is a Board member of the Ohio State Bar Association Board of Directors and past president of the Board of Good Samaritan Hunger Center since.