Howard County, MD National Guard Team Up For Cyber Protection

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — A first of its kind collaboration has been formed between Howard County’s Department of Technology and Communication Services and the Maryland National Guard Joint Cyber Security Task Force to increase the county’s cyber protection during the new coronavirus pandemic state of emergency. The partnership is designed to bring additional support, augment Howard County’s existing capabilities and raise cybersecurity readiness during this time of increased vulnerability.

“Our team recognized the potential of increased cyber threats and worked swiftly with the National Guard to evaluate vulnerabilities and solutions," said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball in a statement.

Howard County began collaborating with the State of Maryland early in the new coronavirus crisis by sharing cybersecurity intelligence via the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center (MCAC) Cyber Threat Analysis Section. In early April, Chip Stewart, CISO Maryland Department of Information Technology and the State of Maryland requested the National Guard evaluate 400 IPs and websites critical to the communication of information about the governor’s response and was subsequently provided a 90-plus page report of vulnerability findings to his team for action.

“As we continue to leverage security best practices in protecting our governmental digital assets, as well as our citizen’s access to accurate information, we’re excited to be the first county to partner with the National Guard to increase our vigilance,” said Brandee Ganz, Howard County director of DTCS, in a statement. “During this critical time, it’s more important than ever to use all assets at our disposal to protect Howard County.”