Public, private sectors must unify on cybersecurity

Every day, it seems, there are new headlines detailing cyberthreats and attacks to our national and economic security – from compromised security of personal data to attempts to hack military secrets and concerns about how secure wireless messaging is.
Recently, India, Saudi Arabia, Germany Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates all voiced concern about BlackBerry’s security system, given the dramatic rise in cyber-attacks. Earlier this year, there was a hacking attack on Google’s internal system.
In response to the growing demands of cybersecurity to protect the nation’s infrastructure, U.S. Rep. James R. Langevin, D-R.I., co-authored an amendment to create a National Office for Cyberspace as part of the executive office of the president. The proposal to create this new national office was included in Defense Appropriations legislation recently passed by the U.S. House.
Langevin is also founder and co-chairman of the House Cybersecurity Caucus. He recently spoke with Providence Business News about his work and the growing number of cyberthreats.

PBN: What led you to become so involved with cybersecurity?
LANGEVIN: Well, it primarily started with my chairmanship of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Strategic Forces. We began holding hearings on cybervulnerability of the nation’s critical infrastructure, such as the electric grid.
As a result, I then co-chaired a national commission on cybersecurity sponsored by the Center for Strategic & International Studies [a bipartisan organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., which provides strategic insights and policy solutions], to develop a strong blueprint on how to do cybersecurity for the nation.
Since I was first elected to Congress, I have developed an expertise in cybersecurity. It’s where my path has taken me.

PBN: What are the greatest threats we face as a nation? What are the things you stay up at night worrying about? LANGEVIN: : The greatest cybersecurity vulnerabilities are in the areas of critical infrastructure. The things that keep me up at night are worries about our electrical grid, our telecommunications and financial systems. Much of the critical infrastructure is in the hands of the private sector. The question becomes: To what degree do we allow the private sector to operate without some kind of government involvement?
We don’t want to change the nature of the Internet. … It involves issues of privacy and civil liberties. The public and the private sector need to be part of the conversation and part of the solution, to create confidence in what we’re doing.

PBN: Who are the villains here?
LANGEVIN: : China is one of our chief adversaries on cybersecurity issues, although attribution of threats is very difficult to prove. One of the challenges of cybersecurity is figuring out who the bad guys are.
It’s very difficult to stay one step ahead of the bad guys. … The work is about managing the risk and the threat.

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PBN: On the military side, what’s being done?
LANGEVIN: Four-star Gen. Keith Alexander has been appointed the head of the first U.S. Cyber Command, to protect cyber-assets and military networks. The new position will oversee cybercomponents within the Pentagon, and coordinate them into a unified cybercommand. I give President Barack Obama high marks on this.

PBN: How does cybersecurity affect Rhode Islanders in their everyday lives?
LANGEVIN: : Cybersecurity has a military component, a private sector component, and a public component.
Two of the three areas of critical infrastructure – the financial systems and the dot.com domains – are in private hands. That’s why it is so important for everyday users to follow best practices in computer security. It’s something we all should be concerned about, checking credit card and bank statements. There are clearly vulnerabilities that we all face as individuals.
From an economic standpoint, if our companies are victims of cyber-attack or espionage, it can have serious consequences. If our companies, particularly those that do work in the defense world, have their intellectual property stolen, businesses overseas may be able to gain sensitive information, and build those products without having to invest in the R&D.
And, with our money supply, there is an ongoing concern about penetration of organized crime.

PBN: Are we winning this battle?
LANGEVIN: We are in a pre-9/11 moment. We don’t want to be victims of a cyber-9/11 attack that does damage to our economy and our national assets. That’s why I’m trying to raise awareness of the threat, and to ensure that we’re better protected.

PBN: This is more that just a problem for the United States, isn’t it?
LANGEVIN: This is an international problem, and an international challenge. We need to better secure the Internet, while being mindful of privacy considerations.

PBN: How do you plan to continue your work on cybersecurity in Congress?
LANGEVIN: As chair of the House Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, part of my responsibility is to oversee the military’s new Cyber Command. I am also a member of the Congressional Cyber Security Caucus, an entity within Congress that allows members to come together to work on legislation or hold briefings for members and staff on particular issues. I see this as an important part of the process to raise awareness about the nation’s cybersecurity. •

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