These attacks are from a non-U.S. origin, County Attorney Roger Wickes said in his cybersecurity report at the Information Technology Committee meeting Tuesday morning.
The top places of suspicious activity come from outside sources probing the system.
“We just got some new software so we were going through it to look at our statistics,” said Wickes, who would not name the software.
The software has prevented any of these foreign entities from hacking into the county’s email systems.
“They’re out there and they’re looking for our weakness,” Wickes told committee members.
Wickes encouraged all employees to keep their guard up and pay attention to any suspicious emails. Any employee who find a suspicious email should not open it or forward it, but rather report it to Karen Pratt, the county’s cybersecurity officer.
“We always try to get a message out that says, just because you don’t see it, because our software blocks things, doesn’t mean it’s not out there happening,” Wickes said.
County employees also need to use security protocols when working from home during the pandemic, Wickes said. Keeping public health information and business details private is important.
“Pay attention, I guess, is the best thing you can do,” Wickes said. “Be suspicious of everything.”
Chief Information Officer Teri McNall said the county uses software that blocks emails from other countries.
“It is a little bit daunting to see all the attempts that are made every week,” she said.
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