While America has largely focused on the ongoing public health crisis for the past 16 months, foreign adversaries have intensified cyber aggression through sophisticated and debilitating ransomware attacks across the country. Incidents such as the April Colonial Pipeline attack and the 2020 series of ransomware attacks targeting large US hospitals already under siege by the pandemic reflect the ubiquitous need to defend against these attacks.
Take, for example, last July when nearly two dozen cities across Texas were attacked in a massive Russian-linked cyberattack, including several in North Texas, which resulted in city officials and workers being banned from accessing local government computer systems. Due to the sophisticated attack, the extent of which was unknown until recently, the communities in Texas saw disruption for several days. These attacks served as a wake-up call to the fact that cyber aggression is on the rise and that no company, large or small, is free from attacks.
In 2021 alone, only six criminal organizations behind a string of US cyberattacks raised more than $ 45 million in ransomware money, according to AtlasVPN. And an analysis by cybersecurity company eSentire shows that 292 organizations were hit between January 1st and April 30th.
Without safeguards to protect these systems, we run the risk of becoming even more vulnerable to cyber warfare.
The rise in cyber aggression against US corporations and state and federal institutions threatens the reliability of critical infrastructures and economies. There is no question that our economic and national security are inextricably linked. The private sector has played an essential role in fighting new threats and protecting our national security. America’s ability to innovate and maintain our global technological edge will be vital in combating the increasing cyber-hostility from foreign adversaries.
Home to a booming technology sector, Texas is the leader in innovation and growth in the United States. Texas now ranks sixth among the top cyber states in America, with tech making up 17% of the workforce, according to a report by CompTIA. Texas has nearly 45,000 technology companies with residents of more than 1 million.
In addition to boosting Texas’s economy during the pandemic, the technology has contributed to efforts to strengthen America’s national security and international competitiveness. Not only has Texas put in place government measures to improve cybersecurity protocols and prevent future malicious attacks, but it also has a number of defense-related companies that are supporting important projects in partnership with the U.S. Army.
Texas leads the way in the fight against foreign adversaries trying to undermine America’s lead as a world leader. This position is more important today than ever as techno-autocracies increase their cyber aggression through ransomware attacks and malicious hacker attacks. The security of our nation depends heavily on Texas’ ability to maintain a robust and thriving technology industry.
Our elected leaders must beware of the unintended consequences of anti-competitive policies debated in Washington that could weaken America’s technological and economic edge, jeopardize jobs in Texas, and leave us vulnerable to harmful cyberwarfare.
Frances Townsend is the former White House Counter Terrorism and Homeland Security Advisor to President George W. Bush. Townsend is a member of the National Security Advisory Board of the American Edge Project. She wrote this column for the Dallas Morning News.
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