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County IT reports phishing attempts, new server delivery and GeoComm rollout
Summary
IT Director Tony Cummins reported repeated phishing/spearphishing attempts on staff email accounts, delivery of a new server and mass storage device this week, and completion of GeoComm mapping for dispatch; he urged county staff to use strong passwords and multi‑factor authentication.
Tony Cummins, Meade County information technology director, told commissioners on April 9 that several county email accounts experienced repeated spearphishing attempts over a five‑day period and urged staff to use unique passwords and enable multi‑factor authentication.
Cummins said three users in the courthouse (named in the transcript as Lorraine, Ria and Max) had multiple spearphishing attempts; he said many malicious login attempts were stopped by a free malicious domain reporting service provided by CISA.
Cummins also reported that the county’s new server and mass storage device (MSA) are due on-site at the end of the week and that he expects migration and configuration of virtual machines to the new hardware to take roughly two months. He said the new configuration will create failover clustering and reduce downtime for critical services such as the jail door access system.
On dispatch technology, Cummins said the county completed a one-month rollout of GeoComm mapping and removed older mapping licenses; dispatchers reported positive feedback on the new system.
Why it matters: Email compromise attempts can expose county data; centralized storage and redundancy reduce operational risk for public-safety and county systems. GeoComm is integral to 9-1-1 dispatch mapping.
Next steps: IT will begin server migration, continue patching and finalize a proposed update to the county internet/security policy; county leadership said it may restrict some online activity if misuse creates operational issues.
