Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate Plans to Provide $1 million to Assist Counties with Cybersecurity
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate announced a plan to provide $1 million to Iowa counties to assist them with cybersecurity resources ahead of the 2020 elections. Pate made the pledge during an annual gathering of Iowa’s county auditors.
During the next few weeks, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Iowa’s Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) will conduct scans of all 99 counties’ websites and internal systems. Following those scans, the Secretary of State’s Office will make an initial investment of $1 million to help cover the expenses of recommended upgrades. Almost every Iowa county already receives at least three cyber-services from the OCIO, including training, intrusion detection, and malware prevention, says a press release.