Bill seeks bolstered small business cybersecurity

A group of lawmakers recently introduced a bill seeking to bolster small business cybersecurity efforts in the wake of potential Russian cyberattacks stemming from the Ukrainian invasion.

U.S. Reps. Dave Joyce (R-OH), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), and Joe Morelle (D-NY) introduced the Small Business Cybersecurity Assistance Pilot Program Act (H.R. 6812), which would provide small businesses with access to critical cybersecurity tools.

“If cybercrime were measured as a country, it would be the world’s third-largest economy after the U.S. and China,” Joyce said. “Unfortunately, as more small businesses adopt digital tools, they become increasingly vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks. With the heightened threat of Russian cyberattacks against U.S. companies, protecting our nation’s small businesses from cyberattacks is both an economic and a national security imperative.”

The measure would authorize $3 million for the Cybersecurity Assistance Pilot Program while requiring the Small Business Administration (SBA) to report how the grant funding was used and identify the highest priority small business cybersecurity needs.

“Currently, the safety and security of our nation, our financial systems, and our businesses are at a critical juncture,” said Gottheimer, the House Financial Services Committee vice chair of the Subcommittee on National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy. “We’re facing rapidly evolving foreign and domestic threats, as well as a surge of hacking and cybersecurity attacks. We must protect the American people and our small businesses from all those who wish to do us harm, from here at home and abroad. With this bipartisan legislation we’re introducing today, we’re helping ensure our small businesses have the critical tools they need to boost their cybersecurity.”