Deloitte and the National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO) are sharing the results of a joint Cyber Security Survey, finding that State Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) lack the funding, programs, resources and tools to adequately protect their citizens’ data, especially when compared to their counterparts who serve private sector enterprises.

A representative tells WebPronews, "As the cyber threat landscape continues to rapidly evolve, the survey reveals that State CISOs cite a lack of funding as the greatest barrier to information security (88 percent), and a high percentage of states report that their information security budgets have been reduced (46 percent) or remain the same (33 percent) from a year ago."

"Furthermore, as state governments are tasked to protect and safeguard personal information, more than one-fifth of reported data breaches in 2009 occurred in the state and local government sectors, compromising information ranging from social security numbers to pension details," she adds. "Additional findings show substantial gaps and shortcomings related to non-intentional data loss, internal and external threats and staffing."

The study is based on a survey to which 49 of 50 states responded. It’s jam-packed with findings about cybersecurity governance, information security strategy, budgetary trends, internal/external threats, security of third-party providers, and other trends. 

The study’s results are being announced today at the NASCIO  2010 Annual Conference, and should be available today.