(PatriotWise.com) – According to a report from the Epoch Times, state governments are the nation’s weakest link that stands between foreign cyberattacks and the US infrastructure.
Over the past decade, only a minimal number of America’s states have attempted to put additional protections in place to protect their infrastructures from potential cyberattacks from bad actors. In particular, concerns have been raised that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or other rivals of America could exploit those weaknesses in the future.
The Pentagon and the nation’s top security agencies have acknowledged the threats the CCP poses to our infrastructure, including the US power grid and our nation’s cybersecurity. In fact, federal agencies have placed limits on the kinds of Chinese tech and firms the US government and military can do business with.
However, state governments don’t have to abide by the same restrictions. And that lack of oversight could be costly.
An October 2021 threat report highlighted the fact that 40 states were using computer infrastructure they had bought from companies based in China, including Lexmark and Lenovo. According to the threat report, by October 2021, 1,681 local and state governments were using software and hardware that has been unequivocally banned from use within federal government operations.
It’s possible that state and local governments aren’t fully aware of the threats they’ve exposed their own infrastructures to. But the reality is that theft of data, cyberattacks, and cyber espionage could easily come from the CCP and others as a result.
According to CNET, there are only five states currently providing the essential cyber infrastructure protection: Texas, Vermont, Louisiana, Georgia, and Florida. These states prohibit their governments from buying and using tech products and services from countries that could pose a potential threat, including China.
In an interview with the Epoch Times, Karla Jones, Federalism and International Relations Task Force Executive Director for the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), said, “State governments really are the weakest link.”
She went on to point out that at least the US government has safeguards on a federal level. “It is up to each state to protect its own IT systems,” she said.
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