On July 24, 2019, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards issued a state-wide Emergency Declaration in response to an ongoing cybersecurity incident that is affecting several local government agencies, including school districts in Sabine, Morehouse, and Ouachita parishes. The declaration makes available state resources and allows for assistance from cybersecurity experts from the Louisiana National Guard, Louisiana State Police, the Office of Technology Services and others to assist local governments in responding to and preventing future data loss. Specifically:

“The state was made aware of a malware attack on a few north Louisiana school systems and we have been coordinating a response ever since,” Gov. Edwards said. “This is exactly why we established the Cyber Security Commission, focused on preparing for, responding to and preventing cybersecurity attacks, and we are well-positioned to assist local governments as they battle this current threat.”

Per the Governor’s announcement, this is the first activation of Louisiana’s emergency support function relating to cybersecurity, which was newly created in Louisiana, in anticipation of the threat of cyber attacks.

The full-text of this extraordinary declaration can be found online and below:

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