Report on Maryland Department of Juvenile Services Raises Cyber Security Concerns
A new report on the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services has raised some significant cybersecurity concerns.
“Our audit disclosed that DJS did not have a process to ensure that residential service facilities timely corrected deficiencies identified by its Office of the Inspector General (OIG) resulting in numerous deficiencies going uncorrected,” the report from the state auditor reads. “Audits performed for fiscal years 2021 through 2023 by the OIG covering operations at eight residential services facilities collectively disclosed 330 audit findings, including 83 repeated findings.”
These concerns are nothing new. As the Taxpayers Protection Alliance has documented, children’s services in states nationwide are often rife with dysfunction that potentially exposes the personal information of children. However, what’s particularly concerning about this report with respect to cybersecurity is what’s missing. The report’s two findings dealing with cybersecurity are redacted. It seems reasonable to assume that something went wrong, but the public has no way of knowing the details.
Cybersecurity is a particularly acute problem for minors. Schools are disproportionately a target for cybercriminals, and huge numbers of young people are the victims of identity theft. Any state agency that deals with children must take care to ensure that young people’s privacy is carefully protected. The public should have full knowledge of failures in order to hold officials accountable.
In 2025, cybersecurity must be taken into account in nearly every area of governance. Hackers and data thieves are constantly looking for new ways to get a hold of Americans’ personal data and use it for nefarious purposes. Lawmakers and bureaucrats must be held accountable when they fail to protect the people they govern — especially the most vulnerable, including children.
Maryland is undoubtedly just the tip of the cybersecurity iceberg. States need to do a full cyber audit to ensure citizens and taxpayers are protected.
Published on May 27, 2025