A summary of the week's developments on cybersecurity in the legislative and regulatory space. 
Cybersecurity Newsletter - Thursday, June 27, 2019
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Feature Story

"Federal Cybersecurity Failures Include a 48-Year-Old System Few People Knew How to Use"
"Federal agencies fail to follow basic computer security standards including relying on a 48-year-old system for critical work, leaving the government vulnerable to hackers, according to Congressional report published on Tuesday. "
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State and Local Cybersecurity

This week the House Homeland Security Committee; Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Innovation held a hearing on " Cybersecurity Challenges for State and Local Governments: Assessing How the Federal Government Can Help" addressing the growing concern about state and local governments' ability to safeguard and defend against a breach.

Witnesses for the hearing included:

  • Keisha Lance Bottoms, Mayor, City of Atlanta
  • Thomas Duffy, Senior Vice President of Operations and Chair of Multi-State ISAC, Center for Internet Security
  • Ahmad Sultan, Affiliated Researcher, Center for Long Term Cyberscurity, University of California, Berkeley
  • Frank J. Cilluffo, Director, McCray Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security, Auburn University

State and local governments face five main obstacles when securing cyber infrastructure. Those obstacles include lack of funds, increased threats, lack of information to establish processes, lack of technologies, and an inadequate supply of cybersecurity professionals.

The Mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms, recounted the the 2018 breach that held her city hostage for $52,000. The incident has so far cost the city $7.2 million.

Mayor Lance Bottoms expressed the need for federal government grants to help local and state governments guard against cyberattacks.

Frank Cilluffo, director of the McCray Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security at Auburn University, noted most Department of Homeland Security grants are used for counterterrorism and natural-disaster preparedness response, and only 4% is used for increasing cybersecurity.

Ranking Member John Katko (R-NY) stated he is working on legislation aimed at increasing local cybersecurity funding to further address these shortfalls.
  Congressional Hearings & Markups

Due to the 4th of July Recess, there are no planned Committee Hearings. There will also not be a Cybersecurity Newsletter sent next week. Have a great break!
  Off-the-Hill Events

Due to the 4th of July Holiday, there are no events planned for next week.
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