Bills target cybersecurity defense vulnerability

Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) introduced last week two bills, the Continuity of Economy Act of 2020 and the National Guard Cyber Interoperability Act of 2020, designed to address the nation’s cybersecurity defense vulnerabilities.

Peters, ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said the Continuity of Economy Act of 2020 directs the President to develop a plan to ensure essential functions of the economy can continue operating in the event of a cyber-attack while the National Guard Cyber Interoperability Act of 2020 enables the National Guard to provide remote cybersecurity support and technical assistance to help states respond to cyber incidents.

“Cyber-attacks are one of the greatest threats to our national security, and the United States is not sufficiently prepared to defend itself in cyberspace or recover from a significant cyber disruption,” Peters said. “Our adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran are constantly probing our critical infrastructure and government systems to identify weaknesses that could be exploited in the event of a conflict. These bills will help prepare our country to defend against and recover from serious attacks on our critical infrastructure – including our financial institutions, transportation infrastructure, and health care facilities – that could cause severe disruption to our daily lives.”

Peters maintains state and local governments are targeted by high-profile cyberattacks, costing taxpayers millions of dollars while
threatening the data privacy of millions of Americans.