LaSalle County IT reports 384,000 external access attempts; added vendor to double-check security scans

At the May 20, 2025 IT and Central Services Committee meeting, John (IT staff) told the committee an intrusion report logged roughly 384,000 attempts to access the county network in April and said the county hired a second cybersecurity vendor to provide an additional assessment.

John said the county continues to receive regular scans from the Department of Homeland Security and that the additional vendor provides a second set of eyes. "Homeland security hasn't found anything on our network in the last 6 months," John said, adding that the county budgeted for the extra assessment this year.

John told the committee that the intrusion figure reflects external testing being run in conjunction with the county's contracted vendor; he said the large number is why the county sought a second assessment alongside DHS scans. Committee members moved to accept John's report and to pay IT bills; both motions passed by voice vote, recorded as "all in favor." The transcript does not list individual roll-call votes.

John also said the county has received new computers ordered earlier, noting a price change tied to a tariff announcement that was later withdrawn; he said the county paid less than current market prices because the order arrived before the announcement was reversed.

John said he will send the committee the county Visa bill by email for review later the same day.

The committee did not request additional immediate cybersecurity action during the meeting; John said he would provide updates at a future committee meeting if the vendor assessments identify issues.