BISMARCK, N.D. (KXNET) — Most lawmakers won’t return to the capitol until next winter, but computer experts are already talking about cyber threats.
North Dakota’s information technology department says the state handles around four billion cyber threats a year.
State lawmakers approved over $43 million for the state IT department in the last session, which includes around seven million for Universal Vulnerability Management.
Department spokespeople say as AI gets more sophisticated, so do would-be thieves. That’s also coupled with challenges like constantly updating software and trying to replace soon-to-be retiring staffers.
“We want to be at the front of the curve and not chasing a technical debt,” explained NDIT chief technology officer Craig Felchle. “Think of AI today, no one really planned for that impact, no one had that in their budgets last session.”
The state IT department operates with several million dollars in federal funds but has around 500 full-time workers across the state.
“We’re reacting. We’re taking on an additional capacity. We’re trying to figure out, ‘How do we support this?’” Felchle concluded.
