CARLSBAD, Calif. (KGTV) - More than two weeks after a cyberattack brought down Scripps Health's network, some local cities are taking preventative steps to help protect their businesses.
As businesses struggle to recover from the pandemic, the City of Carlsbad is offering a free, 90-day program to help them protect against cyberattacks.
"During this economic recovery, we know that many businesses have gone online, and we really want to make sure that they are able to operate just as safely as they are with their in-person operations," said Matt Sanford, Economic Development Manager.
Tuesday, the city launched the program with a webinar featuring a presentation by two FBI cybersecurity agents along with private companies that will be providing services during the program.
"We certainly know that this is a prevalent threat to any business. We've seen in the news recently with Scripps and the East Coast pipeline these attacks happen all the time," said Sanford.
Businesses in Carlsbad with fewer than 100 employees are eligible for the program.
"Our goal is to get businesses with some basic cyber hygiene and understanding and awareness of their threat position," said Sanford.
The program includes a cyber assessment from Mastercard's RiskRecon and training for employees.
"Like a credit score, we are providing a cyber score that tells us or gives you an idea of what your cyber health is like today," said Miguel Sampo, global sales director of RiskRecon.
City leaders believe cyber awareness impacts the entire community.
"We know a more cyber secure and aware business community is a more resilient business community, and as we start to recover from this pandemic, we want to make sure that we are boosting our resiliency as much as possible," said Sanford.
Businesses that would like to participate can visit carlsbadca.gov/cybersecurityprogram or email the city at business@carlsbadca.gov.
