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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Governor Larry Hogan signed measures to strengthen cybersecurity in state and local governments in Maryland on Thursday after lawmakers approved laws and major investments to protect vital systems from cyberattacks this year.
One of the measures is aimed at helping local governments, school systems, and health departments work with more resources and assistance from the Maryland Emergency Management Agency to improve cybersecurity. The agency will support local governments in developing vulnerability assessments and response plans.
“Today we sign bipartisan legislation to continue to solidify our position as America’s cyber capital and further strengthen our infrastructure to protect Marylanders from cyberattacks,” the Republican governor said, referring to the number of cybersecurity companies in the state. as well as cyber-related federal agencies and military installations.
In a year with a massive budget surplus, Maryland lawmakers approved roughly $570 million for cybersecurity and information technology upgrades at the legislative session that ended last month. This includes approximately $200 million for cybersecurity and approximately $334 million for information technology development projects.
State Senator Katie Fry Hester, a Democrat who is the leading Senate sponsor of cybersecurity legislation, said protecting the state’s essential public infrastructure is vital.
“Everything is electronic now: our drinking water, our transportation, our public safety, our education, our financial systems – it’s the government’s responsibility,” he said. “We have to make sure that Marylanders’ daily routines are not disrupted, and I think these three bills, along with the $570 million in the 2023 budget, will go a long way toward achieving these goals.”
Hogan also signed into law a bill to establish reporting requirements for state agencies and local governments, including reporting of cybersecurity incidents. Agencies will need to complete a cybersecurity assessment and rectify the findings. Local government agencies will have to consult their local emergency manager to create or update a cybersecurity preparedness and response plan.
Another measure expands cybersecurity requirements for government agencies and water and sewer systems. It requires public or private water or sewer systems that serve 10,000 or more users and receive government financial assistance to assess their vulnerability to a cyberattack.
Last year, a hacker hacked into the system controlling the water treatment plant in the Florida city of 15,000 and attempted to stain the water supply with a caustic chemical. Cybersecurity experts said the incident poses a growing danger as systems become both more computerized and accessible over the internet.
A provision in the bill also requires that at least 20% of the amount spent on information technologies in fiscal 2023 be spent in the next fiscal year.
Even as President Joe Biden’s administration has announced additional steps to protect federal government systems from hacking, state and local governments are mature targets for hackers. Cities were also exposed to cyberattacks.
Baltimore County was one of nearly 50 school systems nationwide that was attacked with ransomware in 2020, costing the county millions of dollars. In December, Maryland’s health department suffered a ransomware attack that blocked information about health metrics related to COVID-19.
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