Phishing Attempts Keep Climbing as County IT Chief Collects Job Applications

Montgomery County Board Coordinating Committee Meeting | June 25, 2026

Article Summary: Information Systems Director Curt Watkins told the Montgomery County Board Coordinating Committee on Thursday, June 25, 2026, that an uptick in phishing emails has continued and that he is collecting applications for potential additional staff, while his department works through secure door access, phone system upgrades, PC replacement and the Cress Hill Tower building.

Information Systems Report Key Points:

• Watkins reported that the uptick in phishing emails targeting the county has continued.
• He is collecting applications for potential additional Information Systems staff.
• Ongoing work includes secure door access, phone system upgrades, replacing PCs and finishing work at the Cress Hill Tower building.
• No motion or vote appears in the minutes on the item, which was titled “Update/Approval.”

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — Montgomery County’s information systems department is fielding a continuing rise in phishing attempts while simultaneously trying to grow, Information Systems Director Curt Watkins told the County Board Coordinating Committee on Thursday, June 25, 2026.

Watkins reported that the uptick in phishing emails has continued, according to the minutes. He is collecting applications for potential additional staff.

Phishing — fraudulent messages designed to trick a recipient into surrendering credentials or clicking a malicious link — is generally the most common route into an organization’s network, and county governments hold payroll data, court records, assessment rolls and emergency dispatch systems behind those credentials. The minutes do not say how many attempts the department has seen, over what period, whether any succeeded, or what the department is doing in response beyond noting that the trend has not reversed.

The staffing line is the one with a history behind it. The department has been seeking an additional position, and Watkins was previously asked to begin a search; the June 25 report indicates that search has reached the application stage. The minutes do not say how many applications have come in, whether a position has been formally created, what it would pay, or when a hire might be made.

Ongoing Work

Beyond the security picture, Watkins reported that he continues to work on secure door access, phone system upgrades, replacing PCs and finishing Cress Hill Tower building work.

The minutes give no further detail on any of the four. The Cress Hill Tower work is not described, priced or located, and the phrase does not appear elsewhere in the committee’s June 25 record.

The item was titled “Information Systems Report Update/Approval.” No motion was made. The Coordinating Committee’s function is to recommend; a staffing decision or a budget adjustment arising from Watkins’s report would require action by the Finance & Budget Committee and ultimately the full County Board.