Let’s take a look at a few things on the legislation front.
While I was away last week, President Biden delivered his State of the Union address – and I wanted to highlight a mention of online privacy legislation, specifically focused on children. That’s the one essential item related to services.
Also of note, the US Senate approved new cybersecurity legislation that will force critical infrastructure organizations to report cyberattacks to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) within 72 hours and ransomware payments within 24 hours. This measure had previously floundered, and it’s on its way to the House for a vote.
In the House, lawmakers introduced legislation to create a Bureau of Digital Services, Oversight, and Safety within the Federal Trade Commission to investigate systemic risks on online platforms and issue transparency requirements and guidance.
And, within the context of both COVID-19 and Ukraine, the White House requested emergency funding, some of which includes efforts on cybersecurity. The emergency request would give the Defense Department $1.25 billion to support “operational surges across multiple national defense components, including accelerated cyber capabilities, weapons systems upgrades, increased intelligence support, and classified programs,” According to OMB, another $40.2 million in the request would go toward bolstering “cyber, counterintelligence, and cryptocurrency tools” at the FBI. The administration also asked for $28 million to beef up the bureau’s “investigative and operational response to cyber threats stemming from the Russia threat and war on Ukraine.”
Why do we care?
Pre-war, that cybersecurity legislation was stuck and dead. Now, it’s moving again. It’s not a done deal – and there are some indications that the House may be problematic – but a data point on how the realities changed.
A surge of investment too in cyber due to the war. That’s why we care… the landscape changed yet again.