State and local governments plead again as federal pandemic relief stalls

The legacy database systems and remote access protocols many election administrators use are frequent entry points for attacks, Recorded Future's Allan Liska said.

The Covidwise app, which runs on the tech giants' Bluetooth-based API, is being made available to all Virginia residents, Gov. Ralph Northam said.

But election officials have "vastly improved" their cyberdefenses with IT investments since 2016, the head of the Center for Information Security said.

Deputy Chief Information Officer Thomas Parrish IV takes over the state's technology agency after former CIO Tracy Doaks stepped down last month.

The app will be targeted at students returning to the state's college campuses. Meanwhile Google says as many as 20 states are developing apps based on the API.

About 2,100 federal, state, local and private-sector officials joined the three-day exercise, which simulated attacks against election-related IT and civil unrest related to the pandemic.

One of the states furthest along in adopting an IP-based 911 system has hired a company to point out the weak points in its 142 emergency call centers.

The new team includes Code For America Founder Jennifer Pahlka, who will help streamline an outdated process that has resulted in what Gov. Gavin Newsom called an "unacceptable" claims backlog.

The Senate's latest pandemic relief proposal contains no assistance for states and cities, though officials are hoping that changes in negotiations.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said 7,300 tech-industry workers who volunteered to help the state address its pandemic-induced IT needs have completed about 40 projects.