King County’s current IT service management system, Cherwell, will soon be replaced by a new system called Neurons. As part of the cutover, Cherwell will go offline the evening of Aug. 14, creating a temporary ticketing blackout from Friday, Aug. 14 to Sunday the 16. During this time, employees will not be able to submit new tickets or view existing tickets. After‑hours support will still be available for urgent IT issues. All tickets submitted before Aug. 14 will be automatically moved into Neurons and will be available again when the new system launches on Monday,… Read More

King County is seeing an increase in automated “meeting bots” attempting to join Microsoft Teams meetings—sometimes without the meeting organizer’s knowledge. These bots can pose a serious security risk; unauthorized bots may record, transcribe, or export meeting content to external systems, potentially exposing confidential information. Microsoft Teams now detects many external bots and places them in the meeting lobby, clearly marking them as automated participants. However, human approval is still required: someone in the meeting must choose whether to admit or block the bot. What you should do: If you see a… Read More

During the FIFA World Cup 2026, King County employees may notice an increase in phishing‑awareness messages and simulation exercises over the next several weeks. “Phishing” is when scammers pose as trusted organizations and send fake emails, texts, or calls to trick people into sharing personal information or downloading harmful software. It continues to be one of the main ways attackers gain access to systems, steal credentials, or spread malware — and major events like the World Cup often lead to a spike in these attempts. Here’s how you can protect King County… Read More

Crossposted from KCIT Many people are giving up their traditional landline phone service and moving to cell phones or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service. Be aware that these services works differently than traditional landline 911 service. If you’re using a cell phone to call 911, only your general location may display at the 911 center. Because of this, it is very important that you know your location and can relay the address, street names, or nearby landmarks. Text-to-911 is a service in King County that can help those who are… Read More

An email from King County’s vendor KnowBe4 was sent Aug. 4 to all employees with links to annual cybersecurity training. This is not a phishing attempt. Annual cybersecurity training is required for all employees and contractors with access to King County systems (even if you took it last year). Training must be completed by Jan. 30, 2026. Employees who complete cybersecurity training by 5pm on Monday, Aug. 18 will be entered in a prize drawing. Additionally, the first department to cross the finish line (100% participation) will win serious bragging rights, and a shiny trophy. (Please note: this competition is only available… Read More

Starting Aug. 4, KCIT’s vendor KnowBe4 will send an email to all employees with links to cybersecurity training. This is not a phishing attempt. Annual cybersecurity training is required for all employees and contractors with access to King County systems (even if you took it last year). Training must be completed by Jan. 30, 2026. Cybersecurity training is an important safeguard that helps protect vital King County systems; the number of employees that complete training each year impacts our insurance rates. Total instruction time is about 60 minutes. Thank you for doing your… Read More

If you have ever signed in to a website such as Facebook or Amazon, you will notice that on the login page, the URL will change from ‘http’ to ‘https’. What that little ‘s’ stands for is secure. It means that your web browser and the website have both agreed to communicate securely so that no other individuals will be able to ‘listen in’ on your conversation. If you needed to communicate some sensitive information such as a password to someone else, you would not shout out in the open ‘HERE IS… Read More

KCIT is pleased to offer Digital Accessibility (ADA) Training in NEOGOV. These 55 on-demand learning modules were developed by Deque University, an industry leader for technical accessibility training. Courses discuss how to use accessibility tools in a wide range of common King County software applications such as Outlook, Teams, PowerPoint, Excel, and more. These courses are available to all King County employees in NEOGOV through March 2026; content can be accessed for a one-time fee of $14 (usually $300). Contact KCIT’s EIB Manager, Jennifer Broadus, for details. Digital accessibility is crucial to… Read More