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Committee approves updated cybersecurity policies after questions on wireless incident response
Summary
The Committee on Administration approved updated cybersecurity policies from the Information Systems Department, including an incident-response step that initially specified unplugging a wired connection; staff clarified wireless procedures and automated disconnect tools before a voice vote passed the policy.
The Committee on Administration approved updated cybersecurity policies presented by the Information Systems Department, including an incident-response procedure, during a committee meeting.
The policies were presented as the work of a cross-departmental team that included Information Systems staff, police and human resources. Committee members questioned the incident-response step that instructs users to "immediately unplug the compromised system by unplugging the network cable" and asked how that direction would apply to wireless devices.
Information Systems Department staff said the department would clarify the procedure to instruct a user to disconnect from the Wi‑Fi network when a device is not plugged into a wall outlet and that staff can also disconnect machines remotely through their management software. "Essentially, it would be the same thing. We would disconnect the machine. It wouldn't be physically, obviously, with a a cable," an Information Systems staff member said. The same staff member also said the city's antivirus tools can automatically disconnect a machine from the network when they detect unusual behavior.
Alderman Vasquez moved to approve the updated policies; a second was recorded and the committee approved the motion by voice vote. The committee did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript excerpt; the chair announced, "The ayes have it."
The policy under discussion includes a numbered incident-response step (item 4.1) that will be revised to clarify actions for wireless devices and the department's ability to take proactive network actions in response to alerts. The presenter said the written materials provided to committee members included the proposed changes and a timeline for implementation.
The committee's approval forwards the updated policies to the next steps required by city practice; committee members asked staff to incorporate the clarifying language about wireless disconnection into the written policy before wider distribution.
The committee moved on to its next agenda item after the vote.
