Page 23 - Cyber Warnings August 2017

Cyber attacks on state and local governments also have severe ramifications on the rest of the
world. Most recently, the WannaCry ransomware attack, that infected thousands of computers in
over 150 countries, was found to have originated in computers owned by the Cook County
municipalities. Agawu, Emefa Addo. "The Major Component Missing From Trump’s Executive
Order on Cybersecurity." Slate Magazine. June 01, 2017. Accessed July 30, 2017.
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2017/06/trump_s_cybersecurity_executiv
e_order_ignored_the_important_roles_state.html.

Additionally, Hacktivists have raged war on state and local governments. Instead of hacking for
data or cash, these cyber criminals (Hacktivists) use their skill sets to fight injustices and wreak
havoc on state government information systems. In 2016, Michigan suffered a mighty blow after
vigilante hackers shut down its main website in effort to draw attention to the flint water crisis.
Bergal, Stateline Jenni. "Hacktivists launch more cyberattacks against local, state governments."
PBS. January 10, 2017. Accessed July 30, 2017.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/hacktivists-launch-cyberattacks-local-state-
governments/. In May of last year, that state of North Carolina suffered a similar fate when
hackers commandeered their Internet resources and released sensitive email and IP addresses in
protest of a state law requiring transgender individuals to use bathrooms that correspond to their
sex identified on their birth certificate. Cyber Threats Facing State and Local Government.
Accenture Consulting. Accenture Consulting. 2016. Accessed July 31, 2017.
https://www.accenture.com/t20160913T145717__w__/us-en/_acnmedia/PDF-30/Accenture-
Cyber-Threats-Facing-State-Local-Government.pdf. In July 2016, the city of Baton Rouge also
fell victim to this digital disobedience when hackers disabled their city website after another fatal
shooting of an African-American male by city law enforcement. Id.

Preservation of Nevada’s Digital Integrity
The history of cyber warfare against state and local government entities emphasizes the
importance of the establishment of cybersecurity defenses by state officials. Given the growing
rate of cyber threat and with an important upcoming Nevada gubernatorial election swiftly
approaching, it was beyond prudent for the Nevada Legislature and Governor Sandoval to take
steps to preserve the digital integrity of our state. However, this law did much more than provide
a groundwork for cybersecurity in Nevada. It sends a message to other states and local
governments alike that it is within their power and responsibility to prioritize matters of
cybersecurity.
The disturbing revelations surround the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election and the uncertainty
regarding the current administrations affiliation with the Russian government demonstrates that
it is likely that states will have to take cybersecurity matters into their own hands. Because it is
likely that the current Presidential administration will be undisturbed by this unsettling attack,
the burden shifts to states to protect their citizens from potential cyber threats. Fidler, David P.
"The U.S. Election Hacks, Cybersecurity, and International Law." AJIL Unbound 110 (2016):
337-42. doi:10.1017/aju.2017.5.

Additionally, the federal government’s oblivious posture towards state and local governments
concerning cybersecurity was further revealed when President Trump signed a cybersecurity
executive order that omitted protection of state and local government. 3 CFR Executive Order
13800. Accordingly, rather than rely on the federal government to provide the legislative support

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