Instant News Katy

 

On an overwhelming 422-5 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill championed by Katy-area Congressman Michael McCaul to further secure federal computer networks from attack.

 

McCaul was the lead Republican on the bipartisan Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2009.

 

In addition to strengthening sensitive federal systems from being compromised, the bill’s provisions are also designed to help protect some of the nation’s critical infrastructure from destruction.

 

McCaul called passage of the bill “an important first step,” but warned the nation needs to remain vigilant.

 

“Every critical infrastructure is tied to cyber networks, whether it be our utilities, power grids, financial institutions, air traffic controllers.  Virtually every sector is vulnerable.  I hope, as with 9/11, we don’t turn a blind eye and have a denial of service attack before we address this issue,” McCaul said on the House floor during debate.

 

McCaul co-chaired the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th President, which presented its report, “Securing Cyberspace for the 44th Presidency,” to President Barack Obama after he took office. The report detailed recommendations for securing the country’s government networks and critical infrastructure, including telecommunications, energy and water.

 

The bill passed today incorporated a number of key recommendations from that report, including:

-         Improved Coordination in Government: Gives National Institutes of Standards and Technology the authority to set security standards for federal computer systems and develop checklists for agencies to follow.

-         Improved Coordination Outside of Government: Creates a federal-university-private-sector task force to coordinate research and development.

-         Improved Research and Development: Establishes Cybersecurity research and development grant programs.

-         Improved Quality of Cyber Professionals:  Creates scholarship programs (undergraduate and graduate) at NSF that can be repaid with federal service.

The legislation also requires the President to conduct an assessment of Cybersecurity workforce needs across the Federal government.

 

Congressional hearings on Cybersecurity have revealed most federal agencies have been hacked, and the federal government is under threat of cyber attack on a daily basis.  Many attacks are classified as espionage, with foreign countries stealing government information. 

 

One data dump was equivalent in size to the Library of Congress. Another attack over last 4th of July weekend is believed to have been an attempt to shut down federal networks and cause harm.

 

“This threat’s not going away,” McCaul said.  “When you see these attacks more malicious in nature designed to do harm, that’s very concerning.”

 

Robert Holleyman, president and CEO of the Business Software Alliance, agreed.

 

“Cybersecurity is a crucial priority for our nation and U.S. businesses,” Holleyman said.  “We want to commend Congressman McCaul for his instrumental role in the passage of this bill.”