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To minimize long-term cyberattacks, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on May 12 signed three measures for the state’s cybersecurity posture.
The 3 measures are designed to improve cyber readiness, coordination between state and local governments, and officially identify the role of a state data security officer (CISO).
The law comes after a series of high-profile cyberattacks hit Maryland, adding a ransomware attack last December that disrupted the Health Department’s ability to report and percentage of covid-19 knowledge of the sudden rise of the Omicron variant.
“Now everything is electronic: our drinking water, our transportation, our public safety, our education, our monetary systems; it’s the government’s duty,” state Sen. Katie Fry Hester said in a report. “We want to make sure that the daily routines of our Marylanders are not disrupted, and I believe those 3 bills, combined with the $570 million in the 2023 budget, will allow us to reach the goals. “
Thanks to a budget surplus, state lawmakers approved $200 million for cybersecurity and nearly $334 million for computer development projects in the legislative consultation that ended last month, the AP said.
Senate Bill 812 expands the cybersecurity regulatory framework for state and local governments. Establishes an Office of Security Management within the Department of Information Technology that will be led by the CISO, a position appointed by the Governor. It requires The DoIT to comply with state agencies with cybersecurity criteria and calls on local government entities to report cybersecurity incidents.
House Bill 1205 requires the DoIT to update the state’s cybersecurity and IT infrastructure and compare knowledge analytics technologies to enable knowledge-based policymaking across state agencies. subsidies.
It also requires water and sewer systems to expand a cyber reaction plan and assess their vulnerabilities to cyberattacks, a vulnerability highlighted through a 2021 attack on a water treatment plant in Oldsmar, Florida.
Senate Bill 754 establishes a cybersecurity preparedness unit within the Maryland Department of Emergency Management and requires the state’s security operations center to alert agencies to cybersecurity incidents.
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