Despite a significant uptick in high-level cyberattacks this year, a new defense bill signed by President Biden will see the private sector, instead of the US government, tasked with protecting the majority of the nation’s critical infrastructure.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is singed into law each year and addresses a wide range of issues including cybersecurity. The NDAA for 2022 authorizes $770bn for defense funding by the US government.
The law will require the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to update an incident response plan every two years and work together with other government agencies as well as the private sector to establish an exercise program to assess its effectiveness, according to a new report from Nextgov.
According to Senator Maggie Hassan, next year’s NDAA will also “ensure that the National Guard can provide cyber support services to critical infrastructure entities – including local governments and businesses”. At the same time, the new law will establish a grant program at the Department of Homeland Security…
