(AP) — One state lawmaker wants Nebraska to take measures to protect it from cyberattacks.
State Sen. Loren Lippincott presented a bill Thursday to the Legislature's government committee that would give the Nebraska State Patrol $200,000 to hire “an ethical hacker.” The hacker would spend his or her days trying to break into the state’s computer network, as well as election equipment and software, to find any vulnerabilities in those systems.
His bill also would allow hiring a security company that provide hackers to find weaknesses in the state's system.
Lippincott presented the bill on the heels of FBI Director Christopher Wray's warning that Chinese government hackers are targeting critical U.S. infrastructure, including water treatment plants, the electrical grid and transportation systems.
If advanced, they would have to survive three rounds of debate to be passed in Nebraska's unique one-chamber Legislature.
Persons:
LINCOLN, cyberattacks, Sen, Loren Lippincott, Lippincott, ” Lippincott, Christopher Wray's, “
Organizations:
Nebraska State Patrol, Security, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Security Agency, cybersecurity
Locations:
Neb, Nebraska, Missouri, Georgia