Clay County proclaims October Cybersecurity Awareness Month, launches WISER Level 2 training for employees

Bridal Jacobs, director of administration for Clay County, presented a resolution declaring October as Cybersecurity Awareness Month and announced an expanded employee training program, the county said during the commission meeting. The resolution highlights online-security threats and asks employees to complete the new training by Oct. 31.

The resolution notes rising threats including AI-driven phishing, deepfakes, ransomware and business email compromise and cites cost figures read into the record: ransomware average loss per incident of $1,850,000; phishing remediation costs of $4,880,000; and business email compromise losses of $55,000,000,000 over the past decade. The county said it will build on last year’s training with a WISER annual training Level 2 that includes interactive videos, quizzes and incentives.

Why this matters: County officials said enhanced employee training and awareness can reduce the county’s exposure to financial loss, data breaches and service interruptions. The resolution urges county employees, businesses and residents to “take proactive steps to enhance cybersecurity, protect personal and organizational data, and contribute to building a safer, more secure digital world,” as read at the meeting.

Kevin Shaw, the county IT director, was introduced and several IT staff members were recognized by commissioners for their work. “IT departments like to stay behind the scenes and not say much. If we’re doing our job, you don’t know we’re there,” Shaw said. Commissioners thanked Shaw and named staff present, including Dylan Moore (security administrator), Zach Gibb (IT manager), Seth Zamora (systems administrator), Dylan Hughes (IT tech), Casey Williams (network administrator), Trent Harnish (IT tech) and Chris Jung (IT tech).

Commissioners who spoke during the item praised the department’s work and cautioned that emerging AI tools will likely make scams more sophisticated. Commissioner Wagner said the threats demonstrate “the sophistication of folks whether they are individuals or ... other countries who come into systems to try to see what they can do.” Commissioner Carpenter noted the difficulty of distinguishing real from generated video and urged continued vigilance.

No formal vote or ordinance number adopting the proclamation was recorded in the transcript; the item was presented as a ceremonial resolution and staff were asked to proceed with training outreach and recognition of IT staff.