LaRose launches new cyber defense program

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose announced the successful deployment of another cyber defense program, just the latest in a series of cyber defense efforts that have made Ohio the nation's leader in cybersecurity for election administration infrastructure.

This innovative initiative strengthens the human firewall and is aimed at preventing cyber-attacks on the board of elections internal networks. The initiative, deployed by the Ohio Secretary of State’s Cyber Defense Team (CDT) offers phishing simulation training to boards of elections as an expansion of their cyber awareness training. The no-cost phishing training will send fake, suspicious emails to election staff to test their ability to identify and report fraudulent and dangerous emails.

“Cybersecurity is no longer optional for government agencies; it’s essential,” said Secretary LaRose. “As cybercrime continues to cost taxpayers millions of dollars, we’re maintaining the position we’ve earned as the nation’s leaders in cyber defense by investing in practical, proactive training that helps election officials spot threats before they become incidents.”

According to the Ohio Auditor of State, in the last three years alone, local governments experienced more than 150 cybercrime incidents, ranging from a few thousand dollars to $1.5 million.

This initiative started as a pilot program with Fayette and Adams counties and is available to the majority of Ohio’s boards of elections that utilize website and email support from the Secretary of State's office.