Tag Archive for: Counties

Counties required to adopt security system


By MARY MURPHY
Washington State Journal

OLYMPIA – Under a bill Secretary of State Steve Hobbs endorsed, all counties are required to install “Albert Systems,” a technology that notifies counties when there is an attempted cybersecurity attack. 

Even though ballot-counting machines are not connected to the Internet, election data is often circulated on Internet communication channels. Technology like the Albert System can help protect the security of county records by monitoring any attempt to manipulate, intercept, or tamper with data transmitted through these channels. 

While 36 of 39 counties across the state already use this system, the counties that don’t have expressed concern about requiring this technology. Lincoln County officials, for example, spoke to its use of the Albert System and its potential flaws.

“Lincoln County became a victim of a ransomware attack in 2020,” Rob Coffman, Lincoln County Commissioner, said. “At the time, it had Albert Systems monitoring the county network. That attack brought the county to its knees for months, costing tens of thousands of dollars.”

Coffman said the third-party non-profit which runs Albert Systems, the Center for Internet Security, never notified the county of the attack. 

The version of the bill that passed requires counties to install the Albert System specifically. “We all want secure elections,” Tom Gaines, Grant County Commissioner, said. “We all want to make sure that the people in our communities know that their data is safe, but we shouldn’t be forced to put something into our data center that sits outside our firewall, that we’re not allowed to ask about, and that we don’t get a dashboard to see what’s going back and forth.”

Others, however, say this legislation is necessary and timely. 

“We are under threat from seen and unseen vulnerabilities within our election systems, and in Washington State,” prime sponsor, Sen. Joe Nguyễn, D-White Center, said. “Thanks to the leadership of our secretary of state, we figure by example. But we are not immune to the dangers that cast a shadow over the safety of our own votes.” 

Nguyễn…

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So. California Counties Fight Millions of Hacking Attempts


(MCT) — Imagine a wall around your house.

Now imagine someone trying to breach it 411,000 times a day.

That’s what Riverside County’s government deals with 24/7 while protecting a $6.9 billion budget and a mountain of sensitive data from hackers. San Bernardino County, which has a $7.6 billion budget, is also inundated by cyber intruders, although officials there were reluctant to put a figure on the volume of attacks their county faces.


“This is a way of life now where people are trying to find vulnerabilities and exploit those vulnerabilities,” said Tony Coulson, a professor of information and decision science at Cal State San Bernardino and director of its Cybersecurity Center.

“It is better than robbing a bank … You can steal 100 credit cards, put them on the dark web and sell them for hundreds of dollars each and probably never get caught.”

In a presentation to Riverside County supervisors in September, Anthony Chogyoji, the county’s chief information security officer, said the county’s cybersecurity center watches for threats around the clock. County spokesperson Brooke Federico declined to reveal the center’s location.

“In 2020 alone, (the county’s IT infrastructure) prevented over 150 million cyber attacks on our network and stopped over 40 million spam, phishing and infected emails from reaching our 23,000 employees,” Chogyogi said in a brief video aired at a Board of Supervisors meeting.

In San Bernardino County, “cyberattacks occur consistently throughout the day – every second of a day, which are typically unsuccessful attempts,” Robert Pittman, the county’s chief information security officer, said via email.

There’s no shortage of money or data in county government.

Besides overseeing billions in federal and state funding and local tax revenue, Riverside and San Bernardino counties handle everything from building permits and marriage licenses to applications for public benefits, medical records and voter registration data in a region of 4.5 million people.

Large-scale cyberattacks, like the one that temporarily shut down a southeastern U.S. oil pipeline in May, make…

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Gov. Ivey to announce $41 million in GOMESA projects in Mobile and Baldwin counties Friday


SPANISH FORT, Ala. (WKRG) — Gov. Kay Ivey on Friday will participate in an event to announce more than $41 million in GOMESA projects in Mobile and Baldwin counties. 

The Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) was enacted by Congress in 2006 and provides revenue-sharing funds from Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas leasing activities in the Gulf of Mexico. More than $41 million will be awarded to 17 projects among Mobile and Baldwin counties. These projects focus on sewer infrastructure, water quality improvements, land acquisition, research and recreational access improvements, which are included in the authorized uses of GOMESA funds.

The announcement will be made at 2 p.m. at Five Rivers Delta Center in Spanish Fort. Joining the governor will be Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner Chris Blankenship, Rep. Matt Stimpson, Dauphin Island Mayor Jeff Collier, Spanish Fort Mayor Mike McMillian, among others.

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Auditor Galloway recognizes schools in Dent, Oregon counties for notification policies in the case of data breach – STL.News


STL.News

Auditor Galloway recognizes schools in Dent, Oregon counties for notification policies in the case of data breach
STL.News
“Many Missourians are surprised to learn that state law does not require schools to notify parents if their children or family's personal information has been compromised in a data breach,” Auditor Galloway said. “I pleased to have the opportunity to

data breach – Google News