The landmark $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that was signed into law has several very important elements for state and local officials.
As the federal government has grappled with its own cyber security attacks which are growing seemingly exponentially, the emphasis on cyber security for all public and private entities is evident.
One part of this law is the State and Local Cyber Security Improvement Act which provides $1 billion in cyber security grants. The funds are intended to help local communities develop and implement cyber security for their digital infrastructure. This can include working with third parties to develop new plans, revising IT structure to a zero-trust architecture, and implementing new plans for improved cyber security methodologies.
A recent study by Emsisoft indicated that in 2020, 77 local governments were hit by ransomware attacks. More concerning is that they concluded that smaller county and city governments were more likely to be attacked since larger government organizations invest more in cyber security and are harder to penetrate.
The risks and threats to all information systems continue to grow. This grant program will help those communities who need it most.