Now is the time for Congress and the Obama Administration to tackle cybersecurity

Source: 
Coverage Type: 

[Commentary] 2010 was another watershed year for cybersecurity. One of the most significant threats to our national security is the danger posed by hackers, organized crime syndicates and foreign powers operating in cyberspace. Events, from WikiLeaks' Cablegate to the Stuxnet computer worm have pushed cybersecurity deeper into the public's consciousness than perhaps ever before. The progress made hasn't been nearly enough, however. Our national response to these and other potential threats remains far below what is needed, and we remain drastically underprepared for the challenges we face. Many of the cyber threats that have taken root and grown beyond the headlines continue to fester due to a lack of attention from the legislative and executive branches and the private sector. The utilities that operate our critical infrastructure are unable to address what are seen as only "perceived" threats to our power grid. Our government continues to operate with vulnerable and outdated computers and there is no structure that governs coordination among our own federal agencies, much less our allies and partners overseas.

Today, our nation stands largely unprepared to deal with the very real threats against not just our financial markets, power grids and military, but on our civil liberties and privacy as well. There are many passionate and smart voices, inside government and outside, that are committed to seeing the United States remain strong and secure as the digital domain increasingly shapes our reality. Two years ago President Obama made cybersecurity a priority. Now is the time for the administration and Congress to follow through. With legislative groundwork laid last year, the White House and leaders in the House and Senate have an opportunity to work in a bipartisan manner to bring our nation in line with the technological realities facing us online. We hope we can all rise to the challenge presented to us and pledge to work toward a more secure tomorrow.

[Reps. James R. Langevin (D-RI) and Michael T. McCaul (R-TX) served as co-chairmen of the Center for Strategic and International Security's Commission on Cybersecurity]


Now is the time for Congress and the Obama Administration to tackle cybersecurity