{"id":197492,"date":"2026-03-19T18:43:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T22:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/19\/sen-nick-miller-announces-250000-cybersecurity-grant-for-lehigh-northampton-counties\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T19:00:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T23:00:11","slug":"sen-nick-miller-announces-250000-cybersecurity-grant-for-lehigh-northampton-counties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/19\/sen-nick-miller-announces-250000-cybersecurity-grant-for-lehigh-northampton-counties\/","title":{"rendered":"Sen. Nick Miller announces $250,000 cybersecurity grant for Lehigh, Northampton counties"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sen. Nick Miller announces $250,000 cybersecurity grant for Lehigh, Northampton counties<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/lehighdaily.com\/sen-nick-miller-announces-250000-cybersecurity-grant-for-lehigh-northampton-counties\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Publish Date: 2026-03-19 18:43:00<\/a><\/p>\n

Source Domain: lehighdaily.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Author: <\/a><\/p>\n

Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points. <\/p>\n

State Sen. Nick Miller announced a $250,000 state grant at a community meeting Thursday at a Lehigh Valley senior center. The grant will bolster cybersecurity infrastructure across Lehigh and Northampton counties.<\/p>\n

Miller also fielded questions from residents about AI scams, election security, and the growing threat of data breaches.<\/p>\n

Miller, a Democrat representing portions of Lehigh and Northampton counties and the minority chair of the Senate Communications and Technology Committee, said the $250,000 grant will help local governments fight cybercrime on multiple fronts.<\/p>\n

The state, in partnership with Concurrent Technologies Corporation\u2014a Pennsylvania-based defense and cybersecurity contractor\u2014will assess county systems for vulnerabilities and train government staff to recognize and avoid phishing, malware, and other cyber threats.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a partisan issue; it\u2019s a real community issue,\u201d Miller said. \u201cThese attacks are actively happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

The event took place at Lehigh Valley Active Life, a community center on West Elm Street in Allentown that offers programs, social activities, and resources to seniors. The center is sponsored in part by the Lehigh County Office of Aging and Adult Services.<\/p>\n

About a dozen residents attended.<\/p>\n

They raised concerns about phone scams, AI-generated content, and the security of November\u2019s elections.<\/p>\n

Miller pointed to a string of cyberattacks on local institutions as evidence of the urgency. Allentown was hit with a cyberattack in 2018 that cost roughly $1 million in ransom and resulted in the loss of data.<\/p>\n

In 2023, Lehigh Valley Health Network was targeted by the BlackCat ransomware group, resulting in the compromise of patients\u2019 personal information. And in 2025, the OnSolve CodeRED emergency notification system used across the region was itself breached.<\/p>\n

Miller also referenced a recent incident at Lehigh Carbon Community College, though he said his office had not yet been fully briefed on its scope.<\/p>\n

Miller said his primary focus within the grant is employee training, specifically ensuring that government workers do not inadvertently open the door to attacks by clicking on malicious links.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes that\u2019s half the battle,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s essentially opening the door to foreign entities entering your own system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both counties are already working with a project manager from CTC to assess current systems and identify gaps, Miller said.<\/p>\n

\u2018How honest things will be\u2019<\/p>\n

Not everyone in the room arrived with cybersecurity on their mind. Estelle Marr, 83, of Alburtis, said she had been sitting in the lobby when she decided to step in.<\/p>\n

Estelle Marr, 83, of Slatington, foreground, listens as Sen. Nick Miller speaks about cybersecurity threats and a new $250,000 state grant during a community meeting at Lehigh Valley Active Life in Allentown on Thursday, March 19, 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was sitting out in the lobby, and it was here, so I thought I\u2019d come in,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

By the end of the hour, she said the scope of the issue surprised her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t realize how the government is involved in it,\u201d Marr said. \u201cI was mostly thinking about it on a personal level, but I can see now that it\u2019s much more wide-ranging than I realized.\u201d<\/p>\n

Estelle said she had watched a friend lean heavily on AI tools for everyday tasks, including setting up a TV with step-by-step guidance, but remained skeptical of the technology\u2019s broader implications.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems like it takes the personalization out of things,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019ll take the meaning out of a lot of things, unless they find a better way to handle it.\u201d Her core concern, she said, was simpler: \u201cHow honest things will be.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said she\u2019d looked up Miller on her phone before the event began, just to see who he was.<\/p>\n

For seniors who are uncomfortable navigating government services online, Miller\u2019s constituent service representative, Kyle Ropski, said his office can help. Residents can visit the senator\u2019s office to complete government forms on paper or have staff assist them in person.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they want to talk to a real person and fill out a government form, they can come in and we\u2019ll take care of it,\u201d Ropski said.<\/p>\n

Scams hit close to home<\/p>\n

Several attendees, including Rick Dougherty, executive director of Lehigh Valley Active Life, described close calls with sophisticated fraud attempts.<\/p>\n

Rick Dougherty, executive director of Lehigh Valley Active Life, asks a question during a community meeting with Sen. Nick Miller on Thursday, March 19, 2026.<\/p>\n

Dougherty said he nearly fell for a scam from someone posing as a PPL representative, the regional electric utility.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had me,\u201d Dougherty said. \u201cThe threat of cutting the power had me. It was only when they said they were going to come take the meters off the building that I snapped out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miller shared a similar experience, describing a spoofing scheme in which a caller impersonated his bank\u2019s legitimate phone number. Miller said he came close to complying before calling his local branch directly and learning the fraud was widespread.<\/p>\n

\u201cI consider myself tech-savvy, and I was this close to being fooled,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

When asked what residents should do if they believe they\u2019ve been scammed, Miller recommended contacting local or state police.<\/p>\n

He also directed attendees to a new cybersecurity resource page at SenatorMiller.com, which includes a complaint form from the Office of Attorney General, AARP materials and information from the senator\u2019s Scam Jam community events. A Spanish-language option is available on the site.<\/p>\n

AI legislation, data centers and election security<\/p>\n

Attendees also raised broader technology concerns, including deepfakes and AI-generated content. Miller noted that a Pennsylvania man was recently prosecuted under a 2024 state law for generating AI-manipulated child sexual abuse material using images of children known to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe technology is moving very quickly,\u201d Miller said, adding that a bill protecting minors from AI chatbots had recently passed the Senate and was awaiting action in the House.<\/p>\n

On data centers, Miller said he supports local control over siting decisions and pushed back on a Senate bill that would have stripped municipalities of authority to block or regulate such facilities. He said the provision was removed from the bill in committee.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want South Whitehall commissioners to be the ones who decide if a data center is a good fit for their community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

One attendee pressed Miller on election security ahead of the November election. Miller said Pennsylvania\u2019s elections are \u201csafe and secure\u201d and that briefings on proactive monitoring for caucuses are ongoing.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour vote is counted, and we\u2019re going to continue making sure that stays the same,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Miller also referenced the January 2024 ransomware attack by the Akira group that knocked Bucks County\u2019s 911 dispatch system offline for nine days. He called it one of the catalysts for state cybersecurity investment.<\/p>\n

As Lehigh and Northampton counties prepare to put these new resources to work, officials say cybersecurity assessments and staff training will begin in the coming weeks. Miller encouraged residents to stay vigilant, adding, \u201cCyber threats will keep evolving, but so will our defenses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miller also said the state is watching for potential federal interference in Pennsylvania\u2019s election processes, noting that Gov. Josh Shapiro has already pursued legal action to protect state procedures.<\/p>\n

This is the part where we ask.<\/p>\n

No billionaire owner. No paywall. Just you keeping local news free.<\/p>\n

$5 keeps us going<\/p>\n

100% funds local journalism.<\/p>\n

Jai Smith is a lifetime Lehigh Valley resident on a mission to empower local underserved communities and inform the public while providing journalists and storytellers a platform to develop the next generation of news media.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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