July/August 2023 - 13

report cybersecurity incidents to the Cybersecurity
and Infrastructure Security
Agency within 24 hours and develop
and implement a cybersecurity incident
response plan to reduce the risk of an
operational disruption. " Developing an
incident response plan that details what
your agency should do before, during
and after a cyberattack is critical. In addition
to developing a plan, conducting
tabletop exercises will help ensure the
plan is ready and will be successful.
Finding an agency to help conduct these
exercises brings additional challenges.
To be more proactive when it comes
to cybersecurity efforts, larger transit
agencies are hiring chief security officers
and chief information security officers.
While creating these positions within
agencies is one of the best ways to
strengthen the agencies security posture,
they come with large salaries that some
agencies cannot afford. If this is the case,
the agency's IRP is a good place to focus
efforts. Additionally, cyber insurance is
another way to be proactive and protect
your organization against losses.
Another best practice for public transportation
agencies is separating their
information technology and operational
technology networks to limit the attack
surface and the potential number of affected
entities in the event of a breach.
Using a virtual local area network and
network segmentation is crucial.
Agencies should also consider focusing
cybersecurity efforts towards vendor
partnership. Before diving into a
partnership, agencies need to remember
that vendors might have varying levels
of cybersecurity compliance and, at the
end of the day, it's the agency's responsibility
to protect the data of customers.
Agencies should ensure vendors are
compliant with the latest cybersecurity
standards like Payment Card Industry
Data Security Standard and Systems and
Organization Controls. It is up to transit
agencies to do their due diligence in
assessing their security vulnerabilities
with third-party vendors to protect the
integrity of their systems. To determine
vulnerabilities ahead of time and address
them before an issue arises, using
tools like multi-factor authentication
and network scanners are a must.
In a time where technology plays an
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increasingly important role in public
transit, prioritizing cybersecurity is
critical. Through adopting proactive
measures and prioritizing cybersecurity
efforts, transit agencies can lower
the risk of a cyberattack, improve their
resilience and ultimately protect their
riders.
About the author
David Avery has been with South
Central Transit Authority for 10
years and serves as director of IT
overseeing infrastructure of Red
Rose Transit Authority and Berks
Area Regional Transportation Authority.
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July/August 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July/August 2023
