COURT HOUSE – Cybersecurity is as much of a threat to municipal governments as it is to larger federal agencies and business organizations. That was the message of a December 2017 letter from the Municipal Excess Liability (MEL) organization that stands behind the 19 New Jersey Joint Insurance Funds (JIFs). The JIFs provide coverage for about 65 percent of the state’s municipalities.
In Cape May County, the Atlantic County Municipal JIF insures all 16 municipalities from Ocean City to Cape May Point. The JIF is asking its members to place a renewed emphasis on cyber or technology risk.
Reminding municipalities of their growing reliance on networks and computer-based services, the JIF has asked that governing bodies maintain security hardware and software systems, test those systems regularly and enact policies and procedures that govern technology use and the training of personnel.
The new Cyber Risk Management Program establishes a minimum set of technology standards and incentivizes municipalities with up to $7,500 reimbursement of a member’s $10,000 cyber incident…
