{"id":286953,"date":"2026-07-07T17:06:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T21:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/07\/were-giving-local-communities-in-alabama-a-fighting-chance-mccrary-program-provides-cyber-defense-for-local-governments-across-the-state\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T18:05:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T22:05:07","slug":"were-giving-local-communities-in-alabama-a-fighting-chance-mccrary-program-provides-cyber-defense-for-local-governments-across-the-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/07\/were-giving-local-communities-in-alabama-a-fighting-chance-mccrary-program-provides-cyber-defense-for-local-governments-across-the-state\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We\u2019re giving local communities in Alabama a fighting chance\u2019: McCrary program provides cyber defense for local governments across the state"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018We\u2019re giving local communities in Alabama a fighting chance\u2019: McCrary program provides cyber defense for local governments across the state<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/eng.auburn.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/mccrary-program-provides-cyber-defense-for-local-governments-across-the-state.html?utm_sourceu003dauburnuu0026utm_mediumu003dweb<\/a><\/p>\n

Publish Date: 2026-07-07 17:06:00<\/a><\/p>\n

Source Domain: eng.auburn.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

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 \u2014 city halls, fire stations, hospitals, schools \u2014 were compromised by ransomware.<\/p>\n

To combat this threat, the average information technology division in Alabama employs 2.2 people. That\u2019s it. 2.2.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s what cybersecurity experts consider \u201ca city\u2019s worst day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a cyberattack strikes Anytown, USA, what does that mayor do?\u201d asked Nick Sellers, McCrary Institute for Cyber and Infrastructure Security chief operating officer. \u201cWhat do county commissioners do? What does that local hospital administrator do? They\u2019ve got to get services going, and if they don\u2019t have a plan or the resources, they\u2019re in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Cybersecurity professionals and students at Auburn University\u2019s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering have a solution.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2011year federal investment under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re giving local communities in Alabama a fighting chance,\u201d Sellers said. \u201cWhat we\u2019re…<\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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