Page 21 - Cyber Warnings August 2017

Nevada Leads the Way in State Legislative Cybersecurity Efforts

By Caleb L. Green

Summary, Scope, and Context of this Article
This article briefly discusses the impact of Nevada’s recent establishment of the Cyber Defense
Coordination through the enactment of Assembly Bill 471 (AB 471) during the 2017 legislative
session. The unsettling reports of potential election tampering from foreign governments, the
actions of hacktivists, and the host of other cybercrimes that have plagued many state and local
governments demonstrates the growing threat of cyber warfare in our nation. Fidler, David P.
"The U.S. Election Hacks, Cybersecurity, and International Law." AJIL Unbound 110 (2016):
337-42. doi:10.1017/aju.2017.5. Earlier this year, Congress dismantled the Federal
Communication Commission's Internet Privacy rules, President Trump introduced an executive
order the omits state and local government from federal government cybersecurity protection,
and there still exists uncertainty regarding the current administration's affiliation with the
Russian government amid investigations of potential cyber tampering in connection with the
2016 U.S. election and the Democratic National Committee’s email servers. Hence, it is unlikely
that federal government will make the digital integrity of state and local governments a priority.

Therefore, the burden falls to state and local governments to protect their digital resources and
services. State and local governments are becoming prime targets for cyber attacks because they
often store sensitive information and house access to critical infrastructures, such as powerlines
and waste plants. However, AB 471 is evidence that Nevada not only understands the growing
threat of cyber warfare that exists, but moreover, it demonstrates how Nevada is exemplifying
how other states should approach cybersecurity issues as our dependence on technology
continues to increase.

The Effect of Cyber Attacks

As more digital devices are linked together through the Internet of Things (IoT), the threat of
cyber terrorism, hacktivism demonstrations, and domestic cybercriminal attacks have
significantly increased. Andrew V. Schmidt, Note, CYBERTERRORISM: COMBATING THE
AVIATION INDUSTRY'S VULNERABILITY TO CYBERATTACK, 39 Suffolk Transnat'l L.
Rev. 169, 171-72 (2016). In fact, from 2015 to 2016, cyber attacks on government entities
doubled from 7 percent to 14 percent. 08, 2017 Matt LeonardMay. "Cyberattacks on
governments double." GCN. Accessed July 30, 2017. https://gcn.com/articles/2017/05/08/cyber-
attacks-government.aspx. It is likely this number will continue to grow in 2017 and beyond. Id.
As technology continues to fashion as an integral aspect of our lives, cyber attacks on our federal
and local governments are ominous. Newman, N. "Journalism, Media, and Technology Trends
and Predictions 2017." ORA - Oxford University Research Archive. January 11, 2017. Accessed
July 27, 2017. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:c46faa43-eed0-4708-b607-fb5d3a12a70f. Given
these looming threats, the Nevada Legislature has taken an anticipatory step to address a
daunting and growing issue in the cybersecurity domain during the 2017 Legislative session.

21 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – August 2017 Edition
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