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Auditor’s Office Finds Nearly a Third of Mississippi State Agencies Fail Cybersecurity Requirements
JACKSON, Miss. – Mississippi government offices are at risk of cybercrimes due to not meeting cybersecurity assessment requirements according to a new report released by the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor.
“Part of our role in my office, according to state regulations, is to report on whether agencies have followed the steps to protect themselves from hackers,” said Auditor White. “This report should be a loud warning bell to state officials.”
Analysts at the State Auditor’s Office, working in conjunction with the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services, found that nearly one third of state agencies have not met a legal requirement to conduct a comprehensive, third-party cybersecurity assessment. Agencies must hire an outside firm to test their system for weaknesses. State agencies that fail to follow the cybersecurity program exposes critical government operations to unnecessary risk.
Recently, Mississippi government offices have been victims of cybercrime, such as the following:
- In July 2025, an online meeting of the Mississippi Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Council, hosted by the Attorney General’s office, was hacked.
- A data breach in late 2024 disrupted the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District.
- A 2023 ransomware attack on Hinds County disrupted government services and prevented citizens from registering vehicles or completing real estate transactions. The attack cost taxpayers at least $600,000 to resolve.
State agencies who are not in compliance should engage IT professionals to ensure their agency is following state law.
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