NASS Cybersecurity Resource Guide Released During National Cybersecurity Awareness Month

For Immediate Release — October 1, 2019 —

Washington, D.C. — The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) joins the federal government, researchers and others in the cybersecurity community to recognize October as Na­tional Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM). Secretaries of State have taken the charge to fortify their systems, elections and otherwise, very seriously. Furthermore, Secretaries have pro­moted cybersecurity awareness among their partners, such as local government officials and the public.

NASS members and their staff have utilized the association, specifically the NASS Cybersecurity Committee and NASS Tech Talk forums to share practices and learn about new developments in academic research, cybersecurity tools and resources.

NASS is pleased to announce the committee has produced a Cybersecurity Resource Guide to help Secretaries of State and their staff navigate available cybersecurity resources. You can view the guide here.

“Across the country, my colleagues have varying roles and responsibilities, including— administer­ing secure elections, managing business filings and overseeing state archives. Protecting each facet of our offices is of the utmost importance,” said Paul Pate, NASS Cybersecurity Committee Co-Chair, NASS President and Iowa Secretary of State. “With countless cybersecurity resources available, it can be hard to determine which are applicable to the wide-ranging work of Secretaries of State. I am proud the Cybersecurity Committee has created this simple to use guide and look forward to the positive impact it will make not only for us, but also other state and local government officials.”

“I’ve said it time and time again, cybersecurity is a race without a finish line. It is our hope this guide will be helpful to NASS members as they make important technology decisions for their offic­es,” said Jim Condos, NASS Cybersecurity Committee Co-Chair and Vermont Secretary of State.

The guide will be updated as needed by NASS staff and reviewed for discussion and redistribution at each NASS Summer Conference.

Additionally, in an effort to highlight the hard work by information technology (IT) staff in offices of Secretaries of State, NASS is launching an IT Director Twitter spotlight during NCSAM. A few key partners in state cybersecurity will also be highlighted. Follow us on Twitter to see featured individ­uals.

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Media Contact:
Maria (Dill) Benson, Director of Communications
mbenson@sso.org | 202-624-3528 | www.nass.org