The state office in charge of Oregon’s elections was granted funding from the Legislature for an Internet security position to protect against Russian government interference and hacking by others, officials said Tuesday. While Adm. Mike Rogers, director of the U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, said Tuesday in Washington that the U.S. response to Russian meddling and disinformation campaigns has not been strong enough, Oregon has been taking steps to bolster its cyberdefenses. A letter signed by Oregon Deputy Secretary of State Leslie Cummings asked for $166,348 to cover the cost of the new IT security position, saying “Oregon was one of 21 states targeted by Russian government cyberactivities.”
Cummings said in an interview with The Associated Press the new employee, once hired, will put in new equipment that was purchased with funds budgeted by the legislature in 2017.
The person will be responsible for beefing up security on all of Secretary of State Dennis Richardson’s computer systems, including voter registration, the auditing department and the state archives — departments which he is responsible for.
Full Article: Oregon seeks to protect state election system from Russia.