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Woodfin staff warn of rising cyberthreats; IT contract add-on under review
Summary
Staff told council about more frequent attempted fraud and a proposed cybersecurity addendum to the town's managed-IT contract; the add-on would add protections but cost roughly an extra $1,900 per month, and staff will evaluate options before the contract expires in Feb. 2027.
Town IT staff and the finance office told Woodfin Town Council on April 14 that cyberattacks and fraudulent banking attempts have increased sharply and that an optional cybersecurity addendum to the town's managed-IT contract is under review.
Shannon said the town's current contract with TSA expires Feb. 2027 and TSA offers a packaged cyber-security addendum that would roughly double the town's monthly IT cost by adding features such as cloud backup, threat monitoring and incident response. "Do we need all of what TSA is offering? Probably not. But do we need probably more than 50% of it? Probably," Shannon told council, and staff said they are evaluating whether to accept the addendum now or pursue combinations of state-provided services and paid coverage when the contract renews.
Finance staff reported an uptick in attempted fraudulent hits against the town bank account and described daily attempts that are intercepted by bank controls such as positive pay. Staff also recounted a prior breach on a remote-connectivity platform that affected police operations but has since been mitigated by replacing the platform.
Staff said TSA performs monthly phishing tests and that the town has offered staff cybersecurity training; council asked staff to continue evaluation and to return with cost options for the May budget meeting. The council did not take immediate action but directed staff to include cyber options in the upcoming budget materials.
