Massachusetts awards over $76K to locals for cybersecurity efforts

TLDR:

• Massachusetts is giving the city of Newburyport and the town of Merrimac over $76,000 in grants to enhance their cybersecurity measures.
• The funds will help update incident response plans and materials necessary to ensure operational continuity after a successful attack.

In a recent announcement, Massachusetts revealed its plans to allocate funds from the Municipal Local Cybersecurity grant program to bolster the cybersecurity measures of Newburyport and Merrimac. Newburyport will receive $51,910, while Merrimac will get $24,933. The funds will be used to update incident response plans and materials to ensure operational continuity post-attack. Information Technology Director David Petto highlighted the increasing sophistication of cyber attacks due to the implementation of artificial intelligence. Governor Maura Healey’s administration awarded a total of $7 million in cybersecurity grants to 132 state and regional agencies/municipalities. Mayor Sean Reardon expressed gratitude towards the state for aiding in improving the city’s security position and emphasized the importance of staying ahead in the rapidly-changing field of cybersecurity. Ann Jim, Merrimac Town Accountant, stated that this was the third grant Merrimac received to support its information technology needs. Overall, the grants aim to equip state agencies and local communities with the resources needed to prevent, prepare for, and recover from cyber attacks on digital infrastructure.