As part of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) held a virtual cybersecurity event with more than 210 industry professionals in attendance.
“As cyber criminals become more sophisticated and data breaches become more common, it is more important than ever that insurers and financial service organizations review, update and test their data protection processes,” DIFS Director Anita Fox said. “We were pleased that industry professionals joined us in a collaborative environment to learn best practices from colleagues, talk through safeguards with law enforcement and discuss ways to protect against cybercrimes and protect Michigan consumers.”
DIFS held the Cybersecurity Forum: Cybersecurity Issues Facing Financial Services and Insurance Sectors event October 11-12 via Zoom. The event featured presentations and panel discussions with representatives from DIFS leadership, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Michigan State Police, Yahoo Finance and other state and federal regulators. Subject matter experts described how threat actors execute cybercrimes like phishing and business email compromise, and addressed what regulators are doing to protect consumers and support licensees.
With the increasing reliance of financial services and other critical infrastructure on information systems and technological support, cybersecurity education and awareness are crucial for everyone. DIFS has additional cybersecurity resources for consumers and businesses on its website. Consumers with questions about their insurance or financial services can call DIFS at 877-999-6442, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.