‘We’re giving local communities in Alabama a fighting chance’: McCrary program provides cyber defense for local governments across the state
Publish Date: 2026-07-07 17:06:00
Source Domain: eng.auburn.edu
The average cost of a data breach in 2025 for U.S. organizations was $10.22 million, according to IBM. Even more, 34 percent of local agencies — city halls, fire stations, hospitals, schools — were compromised by ransomware.
To combat this threat, the average information technology division in Alabama employs 2.2 people. That’s it. 2.2.
A successful cyberattack can shut down the systems a community depends on. Water systems go offline. Utility billing stops. Communications are disrupted. Public safety is put at risk. It’s what cybersecurity experts consider “a city’s worst day.”
“When a cyberattack strikes Anytown, USA, what does that mayor do?” asked Nick Sellers, McCrary Institute for Cyber and Infrastructure Security chief operating officer. “What do county commissioners do? What does that local hospital administrator do? They’ve got to get services going, and if they don’t have a plan or the resources, they’re in trouble.”
The Alabama Cybersecurity Intelligence Center serves as a workforce-development pipeline, exposing students to cybersecurity operations that are difficult to replicate in a traditional classroom setting.
Cybersecurity professionals and students at Auburn University’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering have a solution.
The Alabama Cybersecurity Intelligence Center, a joint initiative of the Alabama Office of Information Technology (AOIT) and the McCrary Institute, offers basic cyber hygiene, multi factor authentication, penetration testing, incident response planning and round-the-clock monitoring of every device on a municipal network.
The fundamental elements that can be quickly deployed are known as McCrary Secure and are made possible through the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP), a $19 million, five‑year federal investment under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
“We’re giving local communities in Alabama a fighting chance,” Sellers said. “What we’re…
