Mississippi government offices face elevated cyber risk because many are not meeting state-mandated cybersecurity assessments, according to a new report from the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor.

“Part of our role is to report on whether agencies have followed the steps to protect themselves from hackers,” State Auditor Shad White said. “This report should be a loud warning bell to state officials.”

Working with the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services, auditor analysts found that nearly one-third of state agencies have not completed the legally required, third-party cybersecurity assessment. State law requires agencies to hire an outside firm to probe systems for vulnerabilities. Noncompliance, the report says, exposes critical operations to unnecessary risk.

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