Hearing Of Senate Committee On Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs - Cyber Attacks: Protecting Industry Against Growing Threats
Statement
Hearing Of Senate Committee On Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs - Cyber Attacks: Protecting Industry Against Growing Threats
We are living in a wondrous new age of global information, an era that is being shaped by digital technology, consumer demand, and amazing innovation.
It truly is a remarkable time. Today, without thinking much about it, we send pictures, words and video over the Web in a matter of seconds. We have immediate, 24/7 access to each other, texting and talking over affordable wireless devices. Technology is transforming our culture, our economy, and our world.
While we enjoy its many benefits and most people cannot imagine life without computer technology, we also must be aware of the risks and dangers posed by this new world.
For every communications advance, there also is the risk that the technology will be misused and exploited. Indeed, experts estimate that cyber crime has cost our national economy nearly 8 billion dollars in losses.
Protecting our cyberspace has become critically important. In the past 18 months, this Committee has held three hearings on the topic of cybersecurity.
Each time, we confronted a new line of cyber crime or cyber attacks. Newspaper headlines paint a troubling picture of the state of information technology security in this country.
This past Friday, computer hacker Albert Gonzalez pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the theft of tens of millions of credit and debit card numbers from the computers of several major retailers, including Barnes & Noble.
According to authorities, this may not have been his only major cyber crime. In August, he was indicted for his alleged involvement in the largest credit and debit card data breach ever in the United States. Data relating to more than 130 million credit and debit cards were stolen from a number of corporations, including Hannaford Brothers -- a Maine-based supermarket chain -- and Heartland Payment Systems, whose CEO is testifying today.
In July, the United States and South Korea endured a sizeable denial of service attack against both government and privately owned systems. The attack -- launched by an unknown attacker -- used a massive bot-net of hijacked computers to disrupt six federal agencies, the Washington Post, NASDAQ, and other targets.
Most recently, there has been a significant increase in organized cyber gangs stealing money from small and mid-size companies. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network reports that wire-transfer fraud rose 58 percent in 2008, with businesses generally forced to swallow substantial losses that they can ill-afford in the current economy.
These incidents -- coupled with the attacks and crimes that we have discussed in past hearings -- should prompt the federal government to get organized and make cybersecurity a higher priority. Thankfully, there has not yet been a cyber 9/11, but information technology vulnerabilities are regularly exploited to steal billions of dollars, disrupt government and business operations, and engage in acts of espionage, including theft of business and personal data. These incidents can be devastating to our national security, erode our economic foundations, and ruin personal lives.
We are awash in recommendations on how to better secure our information infrastructure. The Center for Strategic and International Studies, the 60-Day White House Cyberspace Policy Review, and numerous academics and industry stakeholders have suggested ways to improve cybersecurity. As these latest incidents underscore, however, the time has come to move on from simply planning to action.
Comprehensive cybersecurity legislation must be a high priority for this Congress. The Department of Homeland Security is designated the lead agency for cybersecurity, and we must ensure that it has the authorities necessary to effectively carry out this mission. These authorities must include:
Sharing critical information on threats and vulnerabilities with the private sector since 85% of critical infrastructure is privately owned;
Encouraging the adoption of best practices and standards across the government, throughout our nation's critical infrastructure, and in our nation's business community;
Generating a strategy that deters terrorists and hostile nation-states from executing cyber attacks that could potentially devastate our critical infrastructure; and,
Establishing standards and performance metrics that can guide government procurement and thereby encourage manufacturers to incorporate better security into their products for the benefit of both the government and the private sector.
I look forward to discussing how we can build a strong public-private partnership to ensure the security of this vital engine of our economy.
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