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Wyoming Office of Homeland Security says the state is at risk of cyber attacks

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The U.S. is facing one of the most significant surges in cyberattacks in recent years. In the face of growing threats to individuals and businesses in the state, Mikki Munson with the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security is warning the public to be cyber conscious.

"Cybercriminals, they don't discriminate. They target vulnerable computer systems. Regardless of whether you're part of a large corporation, a small business, or you're just an everyday home user. And cyber security is really a shared responsibility, which we all play a role in... But just really creating that awareness and, and just being incredibly suspicious when you're online that not everybody's there to help you," she said.

As the nation marks cybersecurity awareness month, Mikki added that while the state has built a coalition to address growing cyber threats, everyone still needs to act responsibly online.

"Limit what you share online. Think before you click. Don't open attachments or email addresses that you don't know. Don't use free open Wi-Fi to check your bank account," she said.

She advises businesses to develop good networks with resilient firewalls and reliable backups of critical documents they can access in the event of a cyber attack.

Friday Otuya is a master's student in International Studies at the University of Wyoming.
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