Ben Cardin has been highlighted a lot lately after announcing his intent not to run for another term in the United States Senate. But before backing away from five-plus decades in public life next year, Maryland’s senior senator sought to address a small business and government issue that has been significantly stepped up during his last six-year term – cyber incidents.
“My focus today is going to be on how the government and Small Business Administration can help entrepreneurs, starting businesses and growing businesses, to help us in cybersecurity,” said Senator Cardin.
In Washington County in 2022, Dorchester County in 2020 and the Salisbury Police Department in 2019, cyber issues have rankled local government officials in recent years. Ransomware, where hackers hold computer systems hostage typically in return for payment, hit Baltimore City’s government in 2019, curtailing access to emails and cutting off water billing for months. In another case, Baltimore County Public Schools were closed for a day after a ransomware attack in 2020.
Cardin, who chairs the Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship, toured the Columbia facility called “DreamPort” with leadership from the institute and looked to learn how other non-cyber focused entities like small businesses could become more secure.
