State and local election officials recently participated in a Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)-hosted forum to discuss cyber navigator programs.
Cyber navigators are state liaisons responsible for aiding under-resourced local jurisdictions in managing cyber risks, helping in navigating the process of sorting through voluminous risk information, advice and available services.
“Election security is a whole-of-nation effort that simply isn’t possible without the partnership and leadership of state, territorial, and local election officials,” Kim Wyman, CISA’s senior advisor for Election Security, said. “All state election offices are taking important steps to support the cybersecurity needs of their local election offices. We are proud to offer this forum to collaborate and share best practices on innovative approaches like cyber navigator programs.”
Wyman said CISA looks forward to hosting more forums, exercises and training sessions as a means of helping election officials in bolstering their cybersecurity posture and election infrastructure physical security while combating mi- and disinformation.
The two-day forum featured opportunities for participants to share their experiences and identify lessons learned for navigator programs, officials noted, in accordance with a series of new steps prioritizing cybersecurity across the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“Participating in this most recent CISA forum was an exciting opportunity to join with some of the country’s foremost experts on cybersecurity and elections administration to share our perspectives and exchange ideas about the evolving cybersecurity landscape,” Florida Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee said. “Partnerships with Florida’s 67 local election officials and the crucial support we received from CISA were essential to the success of Florida’s 2020 elections. In Florida, our Cyber Navigator program ensures that we share vital resources and cybersecurity support with all of our local Supervisors of Elections and that we work as a unified team to protect our elections.”