Security Directive 4.0 Will Help Ohio Maintain Its Position as THE Leader in Election Security
COLUMBUS -This week, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose issued Directive 2023-16, orSecurity Directive 4.0, to the state's 88 county boards of elections. The important directive is part of an ongoing effort to ensure safe, secure, and accurate elections in Ohio.
As the most recent addition to a series of directives beginning in 2019,Security Directive 4.0outlines extensive security standards for vendors, strengthens physical security requirements, and modernizes cybersecurity capabilities. For county boards of elections who apply, the Ohio Secretary of State's office will provide $10,000 grants to implement the directive's requirements by December 29, 2023.
“Today's technology is constantly changing, which means hackers and bad actors are constantly updating their arsenals to attack our systems," said LaRose. "Our focus and hard work over the last four years to implement a strong foundation of cybersecurity protections at both the state and county level in Ohio help us thwart these attacks. This vigilance plays a large role in Ohio's gold standard elections."
Highlights ofSecurity Directive 4.0reinforce these important measures:
Implement security language in contracts with vendors to help increase security posture while conducting elections.
System maintenance through patching and upgrading systems.
Ensure that county board of elections receive proper training and are prepared with incident response plans.
Read the Security Directive 4.0 document in its entirety.
Information on the previous security directives:
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