The Office of the Washington State Auditor's cyber checkups, leaders earn national honors

A novel Washington program to help local governments quickly improve their cybersecurity was honored by the National State Auditors Association during its recent conference in Boise, Idaho. 

The Office of the Washington State Auditor’s “Cyber Checkup” program won the 2024 Excellence in Accountability Award for special projects.  

The award is the latest in a string of national accolades for the work of the State Auditor's Office. The association paired the award with the presentation of its Distinguished Service Award to Scott Frank, the Office’s Director of Performance and Information Technology Audits. 

“I could not be prouder of our team and the work we do,” said State Auditor Pat McCarthy. “In the national accountability community, we truly stand shoulder to shoulder with the very best. Most importantly, we serve the public by finding new ways to encourage good government.” 

The Office’s cyber checkups provide a fast, no-cost, independent review of local government cybersecurity programs. These checkups, offered through the Office's Center for Government Innovation, are not full cybersecurity audits. However, they give local governments recommendations and resources to help address common weaknesses that hackers might exploit. 

Since launching the program in the spring of 2023, the Office has completed more than 50 checkups for governments including cities, fire districts and school districts that had annual revenues ranging from as low as $225,000 to as high as $661 million. The Office expects to conduct at least another 50 or more checkups during the program’s second year.  

In Boise, the executive board of the National State Auditors Association also selected McCarthy as the organization’s president-elect. Her term will begin in 2026.