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North East adopts Cyber Security Incident Response Plan to classify and guide responses to phishing, ransomware and DDoS threats
Summary
The Town of North East unanimously approved an Emergency Response Plan for Cyber Security Incidents after Assistant Town Administrator Grant Handley outlined a three‑level incident classification and examples such as phishing, ransomware and DDoS attacks.
The Town of North East Board of Commissioners unanimously approved an Emergency Response Plan for Cyber Security Incidents at its March 26, 2025 meeting.
Assistant Town Administrator Grant Handley presented the plan and described incidents that threaten “the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of the Town's information systems.” He walked the board through three incident levels: Level A (critical incidents that compromise essential services or involve unauthorized access to sensitive data), Level B (serious incidents that affect important systems or involve partial data exposure) and Level C (minor incidents such as unsuccessful phishing attempts or temporary disruptions). Handley illustrated the levels with examples including phishing emails requesting credentials, ransomware locking public‑works files, and distributed‑denial‑of‑service (DDoS) attacks making the town website unavailable.
The plan sets an operational classification scheme and response expectation for incidents that could affect water, police or financial systems. Commissioner Neil DeMatt moved to approve the Cyber Security Incident portion of the town’s Emergency Response Plan; Commissioner Hilary Crothers‑Moore seconded the motion and it passed unanimously (3–0, Mayor Kelly Benson and Commissioner Bernard‑Dutton absent).
Why it matters: The classification provides town staff and vendors a clear, shared framework to prioritize investigations and restoration efforts when cyber events occur. Town leadership cited the plan as a preparatory step to limit service disruption and reputational harm while clarifying escalation thresholds.
What’s next: The board approved the plan on the recommendation of the Assistant Town Administrator; the transcript records no immediate vote to allocate new funding for implementation. Staff will carry out the plan according to existing operational responsibilities and will seek board direction if new resources or contracting are required.
Attribution: Assistant Town Administrator Grant Handley presented the plan; Commissioners Neil DeMatt and Hilary Crothers‑Moore moved and seconded the approval.
