US Cybersecurity Grant Program Targets Critical Infrastructure

Summary

The US Department of Homeland Security is taking applications for a $1 billion cybersecurity grant program for state, local and territorial (SLT) governments.
 
The State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program is part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and is designed to reduce cyber risk to governmental information systems. It provides $1 billion in funding to SLT partners over four years, with $185 million available for FY22. The grants can be used to fund new or existing cybersecurity programs at water, power and transportation facilities.
 
According to ISS Source,  the newsletter for manufacturing safety and security information, this program will help state and local partners reduce cyber risk and build resilience to the dynamic and evolving cybersecurity threat environment.

The program will fund efforts to establish critical governance frameworks across states and territories to address cyber threats and vulnerabilities, identify key vulnerabilities and evaluate needed capabilities, implement measures to mitigate the threats, and develop a 21st-century cyber workforce across local communities.
 
“In addition to funneling urgently needed funding to states and localities to help defend against attacks on our vastly decentralized water, power and transport infrastructures, this grant needs to take into consideration that our state and local governments are themselves ‘critical infrastructure,’” said Chloé Messdaghi, chief impact officer at security provider Cybrary. “Too many state and local governments are operating with inadequate security stacks on severely outdated software operating systems that have reached or passed end of life. Many also lack sufficient resources to continually upskill their talent resources, or to perform crucial patches and maintenance.”