HomeMy WebLinkAboutInformation Security Grant 2022WASHINGTON 0
SECRETARY OF STATE
November 30, 2022
Memorandum for County Auditors & Election Officials
Subject: Information Security Grant
Purpose: To provide county auditors and election officials with information and funding
to support election security efforts at the county level.
Background: The Washington State Legislature in 2022 provided funding to support
the Office of the Secretary of State's (OSOS) efforts to protect our election systems.
Since a significant amount of work to secure our elections resides at the county level, I
believe it is prudent to provide some of these funds to the counties. Therefore, using the
authority vested in my office, I have directed the distribution of up to $80,000 annually in
the form of grants to each county to support their efforts.
Grant Requirements: Counties interested in participating in this program must meet
the following requirements.
a. Counties must have an Albert sensor that is installed, operational, and monitoring
the network for cyber threats and attacks.
b. Submit written notification to the Executive Director— Elections & Cybersecurity
by December 31, 2022, on the county's intent to participate in the grant program.
Information will follow explaining the process a county will use to secure the funding,
thereby ensuring the distribution of funds meet the legislative intent of the appropriation.
c. Funds distributed to the county must be expended no later than June 30, 2023.
d. Funds distributed must go toward efforts to identify, mitigate, and protect the
county election network and its peripheral systems from cybersecurity threats to enable
the integrity of the election process.
e. Counties will provide a summary of their efforts, as well as documentation such
as invoices or contracts, to highlight how the funds were used. Suspense for this
documentation is June 30, 2023.
f. It is understood in most cases, the county auditor or election official does not
manage or control the network or polices related to placing endpoints on the network. It
is also acknowledged that the county network has a direct impact on the day-to-day
efforts of election officials. Therefore, funds can go toward efforts that support the
county at large if it has a direct benefit to election security.
Subject: Information Security Grant
Page 2
Examples of Appropriate Use of Funds: The following are a few examples of how
funds could be used that would meet the intent of the appropriation.
a. Endpoint Security Services (ESS) — The Center for Internet Security (CIS), in
collaboration with CrowdStrike, provides a solution for endpoint devices that identify,
detect, respond to, and remediate security incidents and alerts. These funds would
allow the entire county to implement ESS since the auditor's networks are typically
managed by the county information technology (IT) department. Additional information
on ESS is located at ittps://www.cisecurity.org/services/endpoint-security-services.
b. Transition to a .gov Domain —While the .gov domain is available at no cost to all
election offices and qualifying entities, the transition can be tedious and complicated.
Therefore, it would be appropriate to hire a short-term IT project manager or
professional to manage the transition to the new domain. Additional information on how
to register and transition to a .gov domain is located at ttps://home.dot ov.or .
c. Personnel Hire — County auditors or election officials could use the funds to hire
an IT security professional to support their office and election security efforts. This
individual(s) must be dedicated 100% to this effort.
d. Network Security Subscription — The county auditor or election officials could use
the funds to purchase annual subscriptions for security software to protect auditor and
county computers.
e. Physical Security Improvements Related to Election Systems — The county
auditor or election official could use the funds to improve areas that support or house
elections systems to mitigate the impact of cyber -attacks, natural disasters, structural
failures, or human intervention.
Miscellaneous Information: The following information is provided to help clarify
questions related to the grant.
a. The OSOS is funded to receive appropriations to support this grant program
through June 30, 2025. Therefore, counties that participate in the program are assured
the $80,000 grant until that date. Future availability of funds is determined by the
appropriations approved by the state legislature.
b. The point of contact for the grant program is Kevin McMahan, Executive Director
— Elections & Cybersecurity, at kevin.mcmahantc-�sos.v or (360) 902-4188.
Steve Hobbs
Secretary of State
416 Sid Snyder Ave SW I Legislative Building I Olympia, WA 98501
Tel: (360) 902-4151 1 sos.wa.gov