Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Robert Jordan | Spc. Carlos Cirano, a Security Analyst assigned to the NCNG Cyber Security Response...... read more read more
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More than two dozen North Carolina National Guard (NCNG) Soldiers and Airmen deployed in June across North Carolina helping local and state agencies including the North Carolina Department of Information Technology, North Carolina Board of Elections and North Carolina Emergency Management with cyber operations.
They are part of the NCNG Cyber Security Response Force (CSRF), a team of full time NCNG personnel and Soldiers and Airmen who leave their civilian jobs and deploy on order as needed for state and nation.
“We (the NCNG and state and local agencies) been working together for some time,” North Carolina Emergency Management Information Technology Security Compliance Specialist Mark Brighter said.
Ongoing missions ranged from repair of local government computer software to protection of state election digital infrastructure.
North Carolina Army National Guard (NCARNG) Spc. Carlos Cirano brings civilian acquired skills and education, military training and more than a dozen real world state active duty deployments to the mission. He worked at local government facilities in Person County and the city of Roxboro in North Carolina helping restore city and county computer networks after a cyber-attack in late May.
It was an active environment as he collaborated with local computer technicians to bring the damaged systems back online.
“You are here to help, you never know what to expect,” said Cirano.
At the NCNG Joint Force Headquarters in Raleigh operations continued protecting state election computer systems. Much of the action was located at the CSRF Operations room, it is a hive of keyboards, cables, computers, monitors and communication systems.
Leaders checked manuals and coordinate staffing requirements with state government peers. Soldiers monitor cyberspace for any evidence of malicious activities online that may threaten the elections computer systems. This information was rapidly collected and shared with other state and local professionals to better prepare staff and protect systems.
“It is very challenging, I am always learning something,” NCARNG Sgt. Clintonia Crocker, a Nodal Network Operator assigned to the CSRF said.
There were regular conference calls with managers of state and local election staff. The professionals shared the latest information from a variety of sources. Priorities were shifted to improve response and protect critical systems.
The CSRF is part of the NCNG’s mission to protect North Carolina critical infrastructure from all threats natural or man-made.
| Date Taken: | 06.26.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 06.26.2020 10:11 |
| Story ID: | 372895 |
| Location: | RALEIGH, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 91 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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