Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., introduced legislation on August 4 that aims to strengthen the cybersecurity posture of small businesses by providing funding to Small Business Development Centers that will help businesses with security.
The Small Business Cybersecurity Act would establish a Federal program to provide direct grants to Small Business Development Centers to create or continue cybersecurity programs for small businesses. Small Business Development Centers can use the funds to provide cybersecurity training for small business employees and administer reviews of small businesses’ cybersecurity posture.
The centers were created by the U.S. Small Business Administration to provide informational tools to support business start-ups, and to help existing businesses expand.
“As small businesses continue to modernize and do more work online, the risk of cyberattacks becomes more serious,” said Sen. Hassan in a press release. “I encourage my colleagues to pass this bill so that Small Business Development Centers … across the country can keep working to protect small businesses from cyberattacks and help them thrive.”
“A cyberattack can seriously debilitate a small business’s operations, and it is essential that small businesses have the tools to fend off these risks,” said Liz Gray, state director of the New Hampshire Small Business Development Council.
If Sen. Hassan’s bill becomes law, the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center’s Cybersecurity Review program – which started in 2020 – will be bolstered with additional funding support, the senator’s office said.
The New Hampshire Small Business Development Center’s Cybersecurity Review program, with the support of funding authorized through the CARES Act, is helping New Hampshire small businesses strengthen cybersecurity. New funding from Sen. Hassan’s bill would ensure the program continues to help small businesses strengthen their cybersecurity posture.
“I am excited that Senator Hassan is now introducing this bill to help us continue our efforts. This program is essential to getting our state’s small businesses additional tools to be prepared for cyberattacks,” Gray said.
