Richard Moody in Columbia-Greene Media reports that the state Board of Elections is spending $19.4 million in federal funding to secure elections from cybersecurity attacks. All county boards of elections systems will conduct risk assessments and the state is looking at intrusion detection systems that monitor websites, applications, and network traffic for suspicious activity. “We are using this money to hire additional in-house staff to create a Secure Elections Center that will assist our counties in security compliance and developing incidence response plans,” said state Board of Elections Co-executive Director Todd Valentine. “We have a number of key areas to protect and we have not been complacent since the 2016 election. Voters in New York should be confident that their voting system is secure.” Both Greene and Columbia County election systems are not connected to the internet. Columbia County Board of Elections Commissioner Virginia Martin said, “Cybersecurity is a very resource-intensive undertaking, so any funds that are appropriated toward it are appreciated and will be put to very good use.” Russian hackers reportedly tried to sway the 2016 election, and there are reports that say undermining elections is underway again this year. Read the full story in HudsonValley360.com.