Biden proposes big cyber investment

President-elect Joe Biden made clear Thursday that cybersecurity will be a major focus for his administration, proposing more than $10 billion in cyber and IT funding as part of his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan.

If approved by Congress, the plan would give the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the General Services Administration $9 billion to invest in launching new IT and cybersecurity shared services, while also carving out funds for hiring technology experts and improving incident response.

The proposed funds come as the government continues to grapple with the fallout from the Russian hack of IT company SolarWinds, which counted the majority of federal agencies and U.S. Fortune 500 companies as customers.