Local Officials Believe They Are PreparedFor Retaliation Despite Federal Cuts to Cybersecurity

By Gordon HopkinsWhile the bombing of Iran by the United States may have taken place on the other side of the world, there are a number of ways in which those events could have a significant impact right here in rural Nebraska.One of those is cybersecurity.On Sunday, June 22, 2025, U.S. military forced bombed three nuclear facilities in Iran: the Fordow Uranium Enrichment Plant, the Natanz Nuclear Facility and the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center. This came days after Israel began targeting Iran with missile strikes for the stated purpose of crippling Iran’s nuclear program and preventing the country from developing nuclear weapons.President Donald Trump has stated repeatedly that Iran must not be allowed to obtain such weapons. Warning from Homeland SecurityOn Sunday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) bulletin warning of a heightened threat of retaliation by Iran. Such retaliation may take the form of cyberattacks in critical infrastructure, both from Iran-linked cyber operators and pro-Iranian “hacktivists.”Commissioner Mark Schoenrock believes Jefferson County is prepared to fend off such attacks. He told FJN, “From my perspective as Jefferson County board chairman, I am confident that Jefferson County has the resources in place to defend against cyber-attacks, wherever they are from. Brad (Eisenhaur) and Jeff (Nelson) worked tirelessly to ensure we have the latest hardware and software and other resources to defend against such attacks and provide 24/7 protection for the county IT (Information Technology) system. This has been a priority subject of concern for the county board for many years, and will continue to be a priority. While no system can be guaranteed to be 100 percent effective, we believe we have a solid system to defend against such attacks, as all of our county government services to serve our citizens runs on the backbone of IT.” Cyber Security CutsOn the Friday before the bombings occurred, the Trump administration released the proposed 2026 budget for CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency). That budget proposes to cut $495 million and nearly 30 percent of positions at CISA.Local governments have been impacted by cuts to CISA even before the new budget was released. In March of this year, Eisenhauer with Jefferson County IT advised with commissioners about such cuts, “So, the organizations we get some of our security updates from and such, especially the election stuff, unfortunately, we don’t get any more. They’ve been defunded, and federal money was cut, and they’re gone.”Schoenrock said, “Given the CISA budget reductions, we have conducted intensive inquiry into this subject as well and believe county government will retain the necessary support to defend against cyber-attacks and other malicious activities.”

Frank L. Borden

Fairbury Issues Water Conservation Notice

Related Articles

High Winds Fuel Multiple Wild Fires in SE Nebraska

Sen. Ricketts Makes the Case for War

City Offices Closed During Move

A Broken Wire Over Railroad Tracks Leaves City in the Dark