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County schedules cybersecurity exercise: one-hour simulated network outage to test department continuity plans
Summary
Mason County IT announced a planned one-hour cyber exercise for Jan. 15 at 11 a.m., isolating county network services to test manual operations and continuity; sheriff's office retains veto authority for public-safety concerns and departments will meet after the test to review lessons learned.
Mason County Information Technology staff told commissioners on Jan. 14 that the county will conduct a scheduled cybersecurity exercise on Wednesday the 15th at 11 a.m. The exercise will simulate a controlled network outage for approximately one hour, allowing departments to test contingency procedures for providing critical services without networked systems.
TJ (IT) and county emergency management said the test will affect county computers, telephones and most networked services; MaceComm (public-safety radio and communications) will be isolated and remain operational. The sheriff's office retains veto authority and may halt the test if it poses a public-safety risk.
IT asked department representatives to convene in the commission chambers 30 minutes after the exercise begins to share observations and identify operational gaps. IT said certain courtroom recording systems and other isolated systems will continue to function during the exercise and staff have notified most managers and department heads in advance.
County staff emphasized the exercise is intended as a learning activity and said the county will post notice to the public and employees in advance to reduce alarm. "This is only a test," one IT official said; departments will be expected to run after-action reviews and update continuity plans based on findings.
No formal action was necessary; the board supported the planned exercise and urged departments to participate and document operational issues.
