DETROIT, MI – A provision based on a bipartisan bill authored by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, to strengthen local government cybersecurity defenses was signed into law as a part of the year-end funding bill. The provision, originally introduced as the DOTGOV Online Trust in Government Act, directs the Department of Homeland of Security (DHS) to provide resources and assistance to local governments wanting to adopt .gov web addresses and email accounts. Federal and state government agencies commonly use the .gov domain, but it is not widely used on a local level. This trusted domain increases resilience to cybercrimes that frequently target local government systems, including imposter websites and email accounts, as well as ransomware attacks.
“Michiganders and Americans need to be able to trust that information they are seeking from or sharing with local governments is secure and reliable, especially as more folks are counting on state and local government assistance during these trying times,” said Senator Peters. “I am thrilled this bipartisan legislation that will help Michigan’s city and county governments protect the public from harmful online attacks was signed into law.”
“When Michiganders see a .gov website or email, they know they can trust that it is legitimate,” said Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. “Expanding the availability of this trusted domain to local governments could help boost public confidence and strengthen the security of government systems.”
“During these difficult times in which budgets have tightened and cyber-attacks have increased, both for websites and email, the additional layer of security .gov provides to local and county governments would certainly help secure Michigan’s digital ecosystem,” said State of Michigan’s Acting Chief Security Officer, Laura Clark. “Further, a .gov address provides our residents with the assurance that they are dealing with a legitimate government resource. We are thankful for Senator Peters’ leadership and the US Senate’s bipartisan actions in supporting local government cybersecurity, and look forward to the DOTGOV Act’s implementation.”
“County and local officials are trusted sources of information, in a world where misinformation is rampant,” said Barb Byrum, Ingham County Clerk. “Using a .gov domain is one of the easiest ways to show that the website is legitimate and the information on that site is official and accurate. This bipartisan legislation will allow county and local governments to have access to.gov domains and I support and thank Senator Peters and the other co-sponsors of this legislation for their leadership for helping to enhance county governments’ web security.”
Many county and local governments do not use the .gov domain, giving cyber criminals an opportunity to create fake local government websites and email addresses used in attacks to trick individuals and small businesses into sharing sensitive information. For victims, it can be difficult to identify a legitimate website when a government uses .com, .org, or .us domains. Websites and emails ending in .gov are easily recognized as official and difficult to impersonate, which can help safeguard against these types of malicious attacks. Attackers using imposter local government emails can trick people into exposing personal information, making false payments, or spread malware, including ransomware.
The DOTGOV Online Trust in Government Act directs the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a component of DHS, to work with local governments to help them transition to .gov domains. The bill directs DHS to develop an outreach strategy and resources to help local government offices take advantage of .gov security features. The bill also helps make the transition more affordable for local governments by making the change an allowable expense under DHS’s Homeland Security Grant Program.
As Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and a member of the bipartisan Senate Cybersecurity Caucus, Peters has led efforts to bolster our nation’s cybersecurity defenses. The Senate unanimously approved Peters’ bills to develop and retain highly-skilled cybersecurity professionals in the federal workforce and strengthen cybersecurity coordination between DHS and state and local governments. Peters also introduced bipartisan legislation to improve access to cybersecurity resources and training for small businesses and support K-12 schools with the resources they need to bolster their cybersecurity. A provision based on his bill to ensure that America is prepared to respond to and recover in the event of a major cyber-attack passed as part of the annual defense bill.
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