3 Reasons Tech Group Call for more Cybersecurity Funding Courtesy of COVID.

Who are the Tech Groups:

  • The Internet Association
  • BSA, the Software Alliance
  • CompTIA
  • Cyber Threat Alliance
  • Cybersecurity Coalition
  • Global Cyber Alliance
  • Alliance for Digital Innovation
  • Information Technology Industry Council

What 5 Reasons do Tech Companies show that cybersecurity needs more government funding?

  • chronic lack of workforce in state and local governments
  • patchwork legacy systems
  • under-sourced cybersecurity and IT services
  • uneven federal assistance
  • uptick in ransomware attacks

The Hill | Tech groups call on Congress to boost state funds for cybersecurity during pandemic

COVID related Malware & Phishing Scams by the numbers

Since April 1, 2020 Google found the following number of COVID malware & phishing scams:

  • 18 million malware and phishing emails PER DAY related to the novel coronavirus
  • + 240 million coronavirus-related daily spam messages
  • 99.9% of spam, phishing, and malware is blocked by Google’s machine learning software

The Hill | Google reports 18M coronavirus-related malware and phishing emails being sent daily

COVID & 5G. Pros and Cons.

Supporting arguments for 5G expansion during COVID:

  • 5G helps with working from home
  • International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection updated its standards to include that 5G poses no significant health risk
  • COVID exposed education achievement gaps in low-income, rural and disadvantaged schools

Opposition arguments for 5G expansion during COVID:

  • unknown adverse health effects like cancer and DNA damage
  • A California petition has more than 3,700 signatures to stop the installation of 5G in schools

Sacramento Bee via Governing | Gov. Newsom Asked to Delay 5G Until Safety Is Tested

COVID Response. A State’s Reopening Plan with Surveillance

Where: Connecticut

What surveillance is proposed?

  • medical surveillance proposed by a report by medical experts affiliated with the American Enterprise Institute
    • + “voluntary” quarantines for those who test positive
    • enforcement via mobile phone apps
    • regional approach to reopening in coordination with New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Delaware, and Pennsylvania
    • contact tracing

What controls is the state looking at?

  • leveling of the spread of the virus
  • hospital capacity

How much spending for the state to do massive contact tracing?

  • $44 million
  • hiring 1,000 people to track the contacts of people who are infected

Hartford Courant via Governing | Lamont’s Plan to Reopen Economy: Testing and Tracking

Cyber Crime Data. New Report. The COVID impact.

Who is the report from?  Cyber Solarium Commission

Why is more cyber crime data necessary? to create better policies against cybercrime

What governmental entity should collect the cybercrime data? Congress should create a Bureau of Cyber Statistics within the Department of Commerce 

How could this data help in COVID times? Better track cybercrime that some say is rising, including targeting of hospitals, testing labs, and a teleworking and vulnerable public. 

The Cyber Solarium Commission Report on Cyber Crime Data

Lawfare | We Need Better Cybercrime Data

COVID drone use: Informational & Temperature Testing.

Where: Daytona Beach, Florida

How are Daytona Beach Police utilizing drones?

  • drones with speakers to remind people of distancing or curfews
  • a drone with a FLIR (Forward-looking infrared) camera will monitor visitors and identify elevated body temperatures

Wicked Local Metro via Governing | Drones in Florida Remind Residents to Keep Their Social Distance

Local TREND. PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY. Local Governments Using Apps during COVID.

Where: Boston, Massachusetts

What Apps did Boston adopt to keep its citizens updated on COVID?

How did the apps come about? Using publicly available data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention & the state’s Department of Public Health, the apps were built within a day

Other technology being used by Boston? text messaging to connect residents to up to date information, in multiple languages & up to date fact sheets and guides

Governing | Boston Mayor Keeps City Up to Date on Coronavirus with Tech

COVID To Bring More Tech Purchases by Government

Name an entity that has been slow to upgrade tech? Yes, government, like your parents is notoriously slow at adopting new technology

What is COVID doing to jumpstart more government tech investments? As government systems crash, the lag in technology upgrades by government is being exposed

What tech will be upgraded?

  • mainframes
  • proprietary software
  • move to software that can scale to meet the demand
  • email storage in the cloud
  • moving call centers to VOIP so that call centers can be virtual
  • hardware: laptops, tablets, headsets
  • move away from paper transactions

Governing | Coronavirus Has Potential to Reshape Government Technology

Governing | Antiquated Computer System Hobbled by Flood of New Jobless Claims

Impact of COVID: More Personal Data in Government Hands.

How has data increased? White House has requested more data under the Stored Communications Act to track COVID

What regulatory/legislative issues are emerging?

  • What limits are on the government on the backend to protect the data
  • Can the government later sell the data?
  • Can government compel companies to provide location data of their customers?

Is there funding involved? Yes, $500 million to the CDC for a coronavirus “surveillance and data collection system” 

FedScoop | An unprecedented wave of personal data could be heading to federal agencies