Bill > H82

This bill amends Chapter 639 of the Acts of 1950 to expand the state's civil defense provisions by explicitly including cybersecurity threats and attacks as potential emergencies. The bill introduces three key definitions: "Critical Infrastructure" is defined as systems and assets (physical or virtual) that are so vital to Massachusetts or the United States that their destruction would severely impact security, economy, public health, or safety, which could include election systems, transportation, and utility networks; "Cybersecurity attack" is defined as an electronic attack aimed at disrupting, disabling, destroying, or maliciously controlling computing environments, infrastructure, or stealing controlled information; and "Cyber System" is defined as the network of hardware, software, procedures, and people that can connect to the Internet. By adding these definitions and provisions, the bill allows the governor to declare a state of emergency in response to cybersecurity threats that could potentially harm the commonwealth's critical infrastructure or information systems, thereby providing a legal framework for responding to and mitigating cyber-related risks and emergencies.

Budget and Finance, Business and Industry

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H82