As an unprecedented number of employees continue to work on-site and remotely, ensuring the proper rollout of the latest IT infrastructure is crucial in securing networks and ensuring operational success. However, various state and local agencies faced challenges in attempting to aid employees in this new work environment, said Rohit Tandon, assistant commissioner and the state chief information security officer for the state of Minnesota, on September 23 during a Nextgov webinar.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the 50 members of the reestablished Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council (CSRIC), which will be co-chaired by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

With the COVID-19 pandemic changing the work landscape, potentially forever, cybersecurity officials are advising that workplaces prepare to build resiliency into these hybrid work landscapes and make sure they are working strategically to secure the connections.

Infrastructure week finally arrived in Washington, D.C. with the Senate’s approval of the $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on Tuesday morning. The bill – whose main tech-related titles include $65 billion for broadband and around $2 billion for cybersecurity – cleared the Senate by a vote of 69-30.

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs advanced the State and Local Government Cybersecurity Act during an August 4 business meeting, sending the bill to the Senate floor for a vote.

The House Committee on Homeland Security approved two cybersecurity-focused bills – the K-12 Cybersecurity Act and the DHS Software Supply Chain Risk Management Act of 2021 – during a markup on July 28. The two bills will now head to the full House for consideration.

Ransomware attacks are a growing threat to critical infrastructure across the nation as vital facilities connect more and more operational control and systems to the internet. Therefore, improved visibility across an organization’s IT infrastructure is critical in addressing today’s cyber risks.

Cybersecurity experts from Federal, state, and local governments agree that in wake of increased cyberattacks during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s increasingly important to protect healthcare data through an elevated cybersecurity posture.

After announcing the creation of six cybersecurity grants for school districts earlier this year, IBM has announced the program’s recipients of $3 million, total, in grants that would allow the school districts to create cybersecurity preparedness teams.

Reps. Andy Kim, D-N.J., and Joe Wilson, R-S.C., introduced bipartisan legislation on May 4 that would strengthen states’ cybersecurity readiness and allow governors to deploy their state’s National Guard to respond to cybersecurity threats.