Building the Firewall Against Crippling Cybercrime Targeting Ohio's Cities and Citizens

Cybercrime is a real threat.

The City of Columbus was hit by a crippling attack last year that jeopardized just about anyone who had stepped inside the city building.

Like a Marvel movie, Columbus City Hall was compromised, and basically couldn't even broadcast the bat signal.

So, like any movie, instead of disclosing the problem, city leaders downplayed it. Nothing to see here. Except, there was so much to see that a computer expert exposed exactly what was jeopardized to the NBC affiliate in Columbus. 

What did city leaders do? They threatened to prosecute him, just to shut him up.

At the end of it all, Columbus is still trying to rebuild, as city council approved $23 million in cyber upgrades, and a $4 million ransom to the hackers.

Still, what was lost was more than disturbing. Social Security numbers, identities of police officers who might be working undercover, and basically anyone who had walked into City Hall at one point or another.

Columbus is not alone. Big or small, Ohio's towns are a target.

The Ohio Auditor's Office told cleveland.com that nearly two dozen Ohio political subdivisions were hit by hackers last year..

This week, Ohio Auditor Keith Faber joins the President's Podcast.

He outlines the threat, and details how the Auditor's office worked with the General Assembly to secure new cybersecurity standards and requirements as part of the state budget.

Plus, he delivers the bottom line on how we all can become more vigilant at home to protect our bank accounts and in some ways our life savings.