Preventing Cyber Attacks, Part 2: How The Board Can Protect HOA Data

Cyber security is not something that your homeowners association (HOA) can afford to take lightly. A constant flood of cyber attacks hits businesses, governments and individuals every day, and many of them have affected Californians.
 
In May 2017, one such attack shut down the largest terminal in the Port of Los Angeles. In 2016, ransomware prevented a number of California hospitals from accessing important information, with hackers demanding money to unlock the data. Hackers also disrupted the San Francisco Muni system that same year. And according to cyber security experts, the severity of these attacks is only going to get worse.
 
To tackle the growing problem of cyber crime, the California Cybersecurity Task Force was created as a statewide partnership in 2013. A few years later, the California Cybersecurity Integration Center was created to improve coordination of information and help reduce the number and severity of incidents. In addition, representatives from all levels of California government attend the Cybersecurity Symposium each year to share their concerns and get the latest information.
 
Clearly, the state of California takes cyber security very seriously – and so should your HOA’s board of directors. Keeping sensitive information safe is part of your fiduciary duty to the homeowners in your community. But how does a board made up of volunteers address this issue?
 
In the first article in our three-part series on cyber security, we discussed how homeowners could do their part to prevent cyber attacks. In part two, we examine the steps that your board of directors can take to protect HOA information.