JEFFERSON CITY, MO (KMOX) - Government agencies, private companies and public utilities say they face an onslaught from cyber criminals trying to hack into their systems.
Two Missouri lawmakers say it's time for a statewide focus on cybersecurity.
Hardwick-4a oc: "We have critical infrastructure in our state, we have power grids, we have sources of energy, we have schools, we have hospitals, we have things that we need to function," says Republican state representative Bill Hardwick. "And all those things function based on network and information systems... ...and so I think its a pretty smart thing to try to figure out how we can protect that."
Hardwick and Democrat Representative Ashley Aune tell KMOX Virtual Consumer Editor Megan Lynch they want to establish a state cybersecurity commmission to better inform the Governor and legislature.
Aune says many essential systems, such as utilities, are facing continual attack, "I know for a fact that Evergy in Kansas City is constantly fighting attacks, constantly, and they're coming from all over the world and so we have to make sure that we're protecting our critical infrastructure, public and private."
While there is an office set up to monitor the state of Missouri's information systems, the last time a statewide task force looked at overall cybersecurity was 2016. Hardwick and Aune want an ongoing commission that includes cybersecurity experts, law enforcement and emergency management professionals to continually advise Missouri leaders. A bill to create the commission has been sent to the state House Committee on Homeland Security.
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