Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL) is the Ranking Member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Information Technology and the chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust, In those roles, Rep. Kelly is concerned about the recent cyberattack against health insurer Anthem and the persistent threats American businesses and consumers face in the digital age. In an op-ed in Roll Call, Rep. Kelly outlined what federal and state government officials must do to defend and protect America from future cyber attacks.
Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL) penned an
op-ed in Roll Call yesterday, outlining what federal and state government officials must do to defend and protect America from future cyber attacks. What motivated Rep. Kelly is the recent cyberattack against health insurer Anthem and the persistent threats American businesses and consumers face in the digital age.
Kelly found that the cyberattacks on "retailers such as Target, the Home Depot and Neiman Marcus already provide grounds for concern, the Anthem attack is disturbing because it presents the most high-profile example of a 'new norm' in cybercrime — the theft of medical identity records."
Medical records of Americans are even more sensitive because the medical records contain highly sensitive information about individual Americans.
This morning, President Obama traveled to Palo Alto, California, to deliver remarks at the White House Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection at Stanford University, to help "shape public and private sector efforts to protect American consumers and companies from growing cyber threats to consumers and commercial networks."
The Obama Administration also sees the issue of cybersecurity important to national security. This morning, the White House released details of an executive order that will be issued later today by President Obama, to "encourage and promote sharing of cybersecurity threat information within the private sector and between the private sector and government." Rapid information sharing is an essential element of effective cybersecurity, because it enables U.S. companies to work together to respond to threats, rather than operating alone, says the White House.
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Rep. Kelly welcomes President Obama's executive action as a great first step in winning a battle in the war against cyberattacks. Kelly points out that health companies are so besieged by cyberattacks that, according to a study by the data protection research firm the Ponemon Institute, 90 percent of health care organizations have had at least one data breach over the past two years.
What is so attractive to these "cybercriminals?"
Kelly says it is the "names, birth-dates and Social Security numbers that health care businesses house on their networks." She goes on to say that "larger criminal organizations are willing to dole out huge sums of cash for sensitive medical data."
Rep. Kelly offers three steps:
First, government (state as well as federal) and industry must better coordinate the sharing of actionable threat information to thwart cyberattacks. The cybersecurity proposal that President Barack Obama released last month will spur public/private cyber-information-sharing and encourage responsible cyber-threat reporting to the Department of Homeland Security’s National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center. This will allow for real time coordination between relevant federal agencies, state partners and private sector-developed and operated information sharing and analysis organizations by providing targeted liability protection for companies that share information with these entities.
Second, we need to do more to advance research and development in cybersecurity. This can be achieved by: extending the R&D tax credit, making strategic long-term government investments in cybersecurity and funding initiatives that help grow a skilled and professional cybersecurity workforce.
Finally, Congress should promote initiatives, legislation and funding streams that help domestic and international law enforcement entities deal with cyber-crime enforcement. Whether it’s fraud, piracy, extortion, online theft, commercial espionage, “hacktivism” or cyberattacks coordinated by terrorists abroad; the wall of defense and response is made stronger through effective law enforcement and international cooperation.
Rep. Kelly knows that to solve this issue, "Republicans and Democrats must work together to pass long-overdue comprehensive cybersecurity legislation. It’s time we all worked harder and smarter to stop cyber-criminals. The time to act is now."
That is the hard part, but there is no excuse not to try and put a stop to cyberattacks.
Rep. Kelly is speaking out on the issue in her role as the ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Information Technology and is chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust.