Federal lawmakers last week sought to learn from the private sector how to better deal with cyber attacks during a hearing of a subcommittee of the US House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
The key, according to those testifying, appears to be effort, commitment, and progress on improving, rather than good intentions.
Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.), Research and Technology Subcommittee chairwoman, stated, “The private sector has been at the forefront of dealing with these threats for some time, as both the target of many of these attacks and as the leaders in developing the technology and workforce necessary to counter cyber threats … Leaders in government and the private sector must work together to create a culture that ensures everyone considers cybersecurity a shared responsibility.”
Her fellow chair, Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) commented, “It is clear that our federal systems are not adequately protected. In fact, just this past summer, a witness from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) before this Committee stated, ‘…it’s incumbent upon federal agencies to implement the appropriate security controls to mitigate those risks at a cost-effective and acceptable level. And, we found that agencies have not consistently implemented agency-wide information security programs to mitigate that risk effectively.’ When I asked that same witness to grade our federal cybersecurity, he gave it a D. A rating of D is not an acceptable grade.”
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Erin is the managing editor of Advisen’s Front Page News. She has been covering property-casualty insurance since 2000. Previously, Erin served as editor-in-chief of The Standard, New England’s Insurance Weekly. Erin is based in Boston, Mass. Contact Erin at [email protected].
