The U.S. House of Representatives was scheduled to vote on the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill (H.R. 3684) on September 30, but the vote has been delayed for an undetermined length of time. With roughly $1.9 billion allocated to bolstering critical infrastructure security, helping vulnerable organizations defend themselves, and providing funding for a crucial federal cyber office, key budget items hang in the balance, threatening critical infrastructure security among other priorities.
(ISC)² conducted an online poll of 226 cybersecurity practitioners—nearly half of which work for an organization responsible for securing critical infrastructure data—to gauge their reaction to the infrastructure bill, how they believe spending should be prioritized and whether they believe state and local authorities have the expertise to make the right decisions about where the money should go.
Although practitioners are pleased that cybersecurity is getting attention, the overall sentiment echoes the primary concern highlighted in a recent Associated Press article on state cybersecurity, which found state and local governments are struggling to retain cybersecurity talent due to existing workforce shortages and meager compensation. Our polling data found that 62% of practitioners agree more dedicated cybersecurity funding is needed to make a substantial difference.
When asked if funding could prevent future data security breaches at the state, local and tribal levels, one respondent said, “It’s hard to say whether or not it is possible to prevent breaches, but we can do a lot ..
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