Health care figures prominently in a new set of bipartisan recommendations for shoring up the nation’s cybersecurity. Our Maggie Miller writes that the report, from the Cyberspace Solarium Commission 2.0 and the McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure at Auburn University, calls on the next administration to: — establish a government task force to begin bringing together existing cyber regulations — initiate a review of the national cyber strategy — launch an initiative to address cyber workforce gaps — host a summit of industry leaders to continue work between government and the private sector — develop a “continuity of the economy plan” to be used in case of a major governmental disruption due to a cyberattack In the longer term, the report says the next president should develop a “common set of cybersecurity standards” for each critical infrastructure sector, including health care, and conduct a review of existing cybersecurity regulations and laws. The report also identifies several agencies that require greater funding to effectively tackle cyber threats, including HHS’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. Among the report authors were Matt Hayden, who was assistant secretary for cyber, infrastructure, risk and resilience policy at the Department of Homeland Security during the Trump administration, and Kiersten Todt, former chief of staff at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency during the Biden administration Why it matters: More than 144 million people in the U.S. had their health data compromised in 2023, according to a POLITICO analysis, nearly triple 2022’s total. The report cites the attacks as an “imperative of action.” Last month, Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Intelligence Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.) unveiled Senate legislation that would require the Department of Health and Human Services to enforce minimum cybersecurity standards in the health care sector.
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