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Is Virginia’s tech industry prepared for the next cyberattack? • Virginia Mercury [1]

['Derron King', 'Zachary Roth', 'Ashley Murray', 'Graham Moomaw', 'More From Author', 'April']

Date: 2024-04-08  

Last month, the nation’s largest healthcare payment system was the victim of a large-scale cyberattack targeting America’s critical infrastructure, which caused a hospital network failure. The security breach prompted widespread panic, disabling the systems doctors rely on every day. The attack prevented providers from finding money to pay for life-saving medicine and with payment histories wiped, patients were caught in the crossfire.

These attacks are intensifying each year; to avert them, Congress could work with our nation’s innovators to build up our cyber defense capabilities.

In 2023, the U.S. reported 2,365 total cyberattacks, a number that has more than doubled in the last three years. Microsoft recently found that a Russian hacker gained access to parts of the company’s source code. The extent and full impact of the breach has yet to be determined, but it is confirmed that the Kremlin-backed actor has tried to leverage the sensitive information it stole.

Virginia has not been spared from escalating cyberattacks either. In 2021, Virginia’s Division of Legislative Automated Systems was hit by a ransomware attack, resulting in panic and roadblocks during the midst of a legislative session. That same year saw the Colonial Pipeline attack, which shut down a gasoline pipeline that services the large majority of Virginia’s gas stations, leading the governor to declare a state of emergency. These attacks were targeted, premeditated and measured to inflict the highest level of disarray.

Adversaries like China have made it very clear that they would like to surpass America’s global technological leadership, stating that their intention is to be a leading global economic power by 2030. The global tech race is upon us, and the U.S. is at risk of falling behind if we don’t protect our ability to innovate.

In the wake of near-constant threats from nation-state hackers, America’s ability to protect its national security is even more of a priority. Just this year, the Department of Defense (DOD) released its first long-term industrial defense strategy to ensure America has the technology in place to protect us now and in the future. The strategic priorities set out by DOD include resilient supply chains as well as economic deterrence that can produce and secure existing and emerging technologies.

Given the stakes of this issue, Congress could work with America’s tech innovators to bolster our cybersecurity infrastructure, rather than passing legislation that would handicap our ability to innovate and adapt.

I founded Priority Defense in response to this critical security gap, answering the call to help protect infrastructure by strengthening companies’ security programs in Virginia and beyond. As a U.S. Air Force Veteran, I see the essential role our defense industrial base plays in our nation’s security and advancements.

Cybersecurity is national security, and continued investment in the industry will help protect us at home and abroad. Virginia’s geographical location, access to top talent and investment in the next generation of professionals has helped the state become a national leader in cybersecurity. And with about 88,000 cybersecurity workers, the commonwealth has the second largest cyber workforce in the country. The opportunity for cybersecurity workers is vasts vast, and the threat sophisticated hackers pose is no longer a warning to prepare for; it is here, and our country is suffering every day.

Policymakers should continue to support our state’s cybersecurity workers and our tech sector at large by looking critically at restrictive legislation that may impede innovation. By continuing to lift our tech sector, we empower the organizations maintaining our state and national security.

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[1] Url: https://virginiamercury.com/2024/04/08/is-virginias-tech-industry-prepared-for-the-next-cyberattack/

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