PA Bill Calls For Enlisting National Guard To Combat Cyber Criminals

HARRISBURG —Pennsylvania House lawmakers introduced a bill that would allow the state to use the Pennsylvania National Guard to combat cyber criminals.

The bill passed the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness committees and is moving to the full House.

Pennsylvania is home to two military cybersecurity teams: The Pennsylvania Army National Guard Defensive Cyber Operations and the Pennsylvania Air National Guard 112th Cyberspace Operations Squadron.

“We have seen a huge increase in cyber security attacks in our country,” Williams said in a prepared statement. “The FBI reported almost 800,000 complaints in 2020 alone, and governments are a prime target, particularly of ransomware and ID theft.

“Gaydos noted that finding experts to help recover from a cyberattack can be challenging as it is often hard to know where to start and who best can help.

“We have experts here in the Commonwealth who could help in a cyber emergency,” Gaydos said in prepared statement.

Williams, a Republican representing Delaware and Chester Counties, and Gaydos, a Republican representing Allegheny County, are co-chairs of the House Cybersecurity Caucus.

Pennsylvania is home to two military cybersecurity teams: The Pennsylvania Army National Guard Defensive Cyber Operations and the Pennsylvania Air National Guard 112th Cyberspace Operations Squadron.

House Bill 2412 would allow trained military cybersecurity experts to support requests from state agencies in need of immediate assistance or training.

Further, the bill will allow the guard to receive requests and provide support to non-government entities with cybersecurity education and training exercise assistance as needed.

“The men and women of these units are dedicated to the dual mission of ensuring cyber preparedness and providing rapid cyber incident response,” Williams said.

“Our bill would allow the Commonwealth to mobilize these experts through a special state duty status to protect our vital systems and secure personal information.”