Tech Companies to Invest Billions in Cybersecurity 

Following President Joe Biden’s recent private meeting with top executives, and in response to continued ransomware attacks targeting critical U.S. infrastructure and major corporations, some of the country’s leading technology companies have committed to investing billions of dollars to strengthen cybersecurity defenses and train skilled workers, reports the Associated Press.

The White House announced that Google had committed to invest $10 billion in cybersecurity over the next five years, money aimed at helping secure the software supply chain and expand zero-trust programs. Microsoft, meanwhile, said it would invest $20 billion in cybersecurity over the next five years and make available $150 million in technical services to help local governments upgrade their defenses. IBM plans to train 150,000 people in cybersecurity over three years, Apple said it would develop a new program to help strengthen the technology supply chain, and Amazon said it would offer to the public the same security awareness training it gives to employees. The Biden administration regards cybersecurity as a major agenda item, labeling the recent meeting as a “call to action” for private companies to help identify the “root causes of any kind of malicious cyberattacks. See also: Infrastructure Bill May Push Cybercriminals Underground.