Sam Anderson: Responding to the Unseen-Mastering Incident Response

Description

Join us for an engaging presentation which details an incident involving a threat actor targeting the OSOS (Office of the Secretary of State) and ISR (Incident Security Response) systems. The malicious activity compromised certain operational aspects, creating significant risks to the integrity of election processes. However, quick response efforts from OSOS, CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency), and county-level teams ensured the continuity of operations. By working together, they effectively mitigated the threat and maintained election security. This incident also led to the development of the "go-kit," a resource designed to provide small to moderately sized counties with the tools and solutions needed to ensure election capabilities remain intact, even during similar disruptive events.

Speaker

Sam Anderson
Chief Information Security Officer
Secretary of the State

Sam Anderson is the Chief Information Security Officer at the Washington Office of the Secretary of the State, which handles elections, state archives, the Washington State Library, and corporations and charities filings.

Before coming to the Secretary of State, Sam worked in emergency management and in the State Auditor’s Office as an IT security analyst assessing the security posture of state agencies, local governments, and public utilities supporting critical infrastructure.

Sam has served in the US military for 20 years as part of the regular Army and the Washington Army National Guard. As a soldier, he served in the Field Artillery and is an Iraq War veteran. As a guardsman, Sam served in the Signal Corps and was part of a National Guard Bureau pilot project assessing critical infrastructure supporting DoD installations. He was also part of a Covid taskforce helping Washington citizens access employment insurance services. 

Hailing from Tacoma, Sam lives with his wife and two cats. When Sam isn't learning new skills or tinkering with technology, he spends his time hiking, reading fiction, and practicing Fiore style fencing at the Seven Swords Academy.