By Beth Payne, PM Editor

While corresponding with author Gerald Cliff about the June PM feature article “Growing Impact of Cybercrime in Local Government,” I learned some information I thought important to share. The National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), where Cliff is research director, has been looking at a site called Shodan, which is designed to search out and list the vulnerabilities of thousands of servers, traffic cams, even the Internet of Things.

Here’s how Shodan can be helpful to managers: Local governments can be found there with either no protection for their servers or with default passwords to secure their confidential information. Cliff says it has been called the “Google for Hackers” as it constantly searches the Internet for weaknesses and posts them to the site. Hackers use it, but the developer’s intention apparently is to make the owners of the susceptible servers tend to their security.

I’m sharing a link that Cliff sent me so you might be able to learn more about Shodan, the Dark Web, “Virus Total,” and other worrisome things that are prevalent on the Internet. The link includes the story “Hack Like a Pro: How to Find Vulnerable Targets Using Shodan—The World’s Most Dangerous Search Engine.”

Also, for more information on legal liability and what managers can do to limit exposure to cybercrime, you can check out NW3C’s white paper Cyberintrusions and Data Breaches as well as a master list of its white papers.

What else can be found in the June PM?

2017 PM Readership Survey: It’s time for members and readers to be honest and let ICMA know if you read PM, throw it away, prefer hard copy, or prefer the online version. You can access the survey through June 16.

LGR: Local Government Review: This second special section of PM—the first was in the December 2016 issue and is a membership benefit—presents key research findings. This one focuses on citizen engagement and economic development.

How Do You Protect Your Reputation? In the On Point department, managers Charmelle Garrett, Brant Hanson, Anne Norris, and Dominic Lazzaretto all have their own personal “protection strategy” so they don’t appear ill-advised with elected officials, employees, or residents when faced with an uncomfortable situation or when defending their organization.

Reflections on Being Fired: Bill Cahill, who is a manager in transition, has written his thoughts on being fired, having asked himself the questions: Why did it happen? How could I have prevented it? What mistakes did I make that I can learn from?

There are more great articles in the issue that I haven’t mentioned here, so I hope you will check out all the issue offers. One parting thought: Local government management can be a tough profession, with some new challenge taking place practically every day. I am glad that PM can share the work and information that management professionals want to share with readers.

Now go check Shodan!