The Florida Center for Cybersecurity, also known as Cyber Florida, is responding to the growing frequency of cyber-attacks across the state.
Cyber Florida spokesperson Jennifer Clemon told WFSU on Monday that the group is addressing the issue through research and outreach initiatives.
It's the agency’s way of raising awareness of cyber thieves.
“Whether students, individuals in their home or businesses, critical infrastructure; we provide those resources and education, and training, to make us as cyber aware as possible," said Clemon.
Cyber Florida was created by the Florida State Legislature in 2014 within the University of South Florida to help Florida become a national leader in cybersecurity education.
"Criminals are getting smarter, it's getting more frequent," said Clemon. That's why it's so important to be cyber aware because the criminals are not gonna go away."
The Florida Department of Health (FDOH) and the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) recently fell victim to a cyberattack. Hackers were able to steal health records, risk assessments, and gained access to DOH’s vital statistics system which holds birth and death certificates.
A FDOH spokesperson said the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) is investigating the incident. Such attacks have impacted over 156 thousand Floridians.
The Florida Department of Health issued the following statement on July 9:
The Florida Department of Health (Department) is working diligently to resolve the temporary outage impacting the online Vital Statistics system. To facilitate continued operations of death certificates, the Department has worked closely with funeral homes and health care facilities to implement offline procedures during this period. These instructions have been provided to all licensed funeral directors statewide. In addition, all county health departments have been provided the necessary resources to issue death certificates offline during this time.
We also request the support from health care facilities and physicians to expedite hand-signed death certificates. This collaboration across all partners will assist families in navigating difficult times with minimal disruption.
“We are working around the clock to restore the online Vital Statistics system,” said State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo. “The majority of Department operations and services remain operational and unchanged.”
County health departments remain able to issue copies of birth certificates for individuals born before June 28, 2024. For births on or after this date, the Department is working with hospitals to continue manual processing of birth certificates. For families seeking assistance, all county health departments are prepared to provide guidance and support. Locate your local county health department at: FloridaHealth.gov. For questions and concerns regarding Vital Statistics services, please call 1-866-295-5902.James Williams Deputy Communications Director