Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, remote work has become a large aspect of the new normal. Subsequently, there has been an increase in attacks launched by cyber criminals, including a wave of large-scale attacks has rendered critical infrastructure unusable. The SolarWinds hack, JBS hack, and Colonial Pipeline hack have all been hailed as powerful signals to governments and organizations alike that more investment and research into cybersecurity is necessary.
In an attempt to avoid these types of incidents occurring over and over again, the Senate recently approved $1.9 billion dollars in cybersecurity infrastructure bills. This comes as part of a $1 trillion dollar infrastructure package approved August 10th. This money will be used for securing critical infrastructure against attacks, helping vulnerable organizations defend themselves, funding for a key federal cyber office, and to strengthen cybersecurity for state and local governments.
One of the most notable bills is the State and Local Cybersecurity Improvement Act. This act would give one billion dollars to government entities over 4 years, with a quarter of that being allocated to vulnerable rural communities. This act in particular is much needed, as an attack on a school system or electrical grid could put crucial services in jeopardy- and many state and local governments do not have sufficient resources to defend against these types of attacks. If you’ve found yourself a victim of the onslaught of recent cyberattacks, feel free to reach out to us about malware protection and data recovery at info@optfinity.com.
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