Millions of dollars in funding from the Covid-19 relief bill passed Wednesday will be used to help the federal government improve its cybersecurity efforts in the wake of high-profile breaches that have caused alarm for officials and lawmakers.
“[I]t reflects a recognition by this administration of the urgency of improving cybersecurity,” said cyber chief Eric Goldstein of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, adding that it will provide funding ahead of the next budget cycle, given the current threats facing federal networks.
The funding comes as CISA, a Department of Homeland Security agency that was founded during the Trump administration, is dealing with the fallout from two recent cyber breaches. Congress, Goldstein said, included $650 million in the $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill for CISA’s cybersecurity risk management programs.
Goldstein, a top political appointee, said the funding stems from the fact that federal agencies are providing services either “directly or indirectly related to our country’s ability to recover from…
