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including intellectual property, security information, . proprietary business process information, information applying to suppliers and business partners, and personally identifiable information of customers, constituents and employees. The secure processing; maintenance and transmission of this information is critical to department operations and the provision of citizen services. Increasingly, governmental entities are being targeted by cyberattacks (including; but not limited to, hacking, viruses, malware and other attacks on computers and other sensitive digital networks and systems) seeking to obtain confidential data or.disrupt critical services. A rapidly changing cyber risk landscape may introduce new vulnerabilities and avenues that attackers/hackers. can exploit in attempts to cause breaches or service disruptions. Employee error and/or malfeasance may also contribute to data loss or other system disruptions. Additionally, the County's computer networks and systems routinely interface and rely on third party systems that are also subject to the risks previously described. Any such breach could compromise networks and the confidentiality, integrity and availability of systems and the information stored there. The potential disruptions, access, modification, disclosure or destruction of data could result in interruption of the efficiency of County commerce, initiation of legal. claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal . information, regulatory penalties, disruptions in operations :and the services provided and. the loss of confidence in County operations; ultimately adversely affecting County revenues. The County's cyber security program is managed by cyber security professionals within the Information Technology Department. This group's primary concern is protecting electronic assets and sensitive data stored on and transmitted through the County's networks and servers. This chiefly includes all financial data, employee records and other sensitive personnel information and sensitive. customer data. Preventative actions being taken by the County include diligent firewall monitoring, proactive security evaluation of new software prior to launching them on the County's networks and servers; institution and consistent application of PCI (Payment Card Industry) : security standards, and annual cybersecurity training for County employees. Access. to County systems ends upon termination of employment with the County, and County -owned electronic assets are obtained from the terminated employee at that time. All external emails are: heavily screened to ensure the County's cyber defenses are not penetrated, HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and PCI compliance are also areas of great concern with respect to the County's cybersecurity efforts. Despite the: County's efforts in this area, no assurance can be given that any cyberattacks, if successful, will .not have a material adverse effect on the operations or financial condition of the County. 7. The outbreak of the highly contagious COVID-19 pandemic in the United States in March 2020 generally had a disruptive financial impact on local, state. and national economies around the country; including without limitation fueling inflation and creating supply chain issues. COVID-19 was considered a Public Health, Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization.. This led to quarantine and other "social distancing" measures . throughout the United States. These measures included 30