White House offers belated support for cybersecurity bill

Legislation designed around reducing the nation’s risk of cyber attacks have been in the works for a while now. Much debate has taken place about the Cyber Information Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA). What has changed is that just in mid-July President Obama began applying pressure to get it passed. A few pundits have even called the presidential pressure an all-out push. 

Consider what Gen. Keith Alexander, the head of U.S. Cyber Command recently stated, which is that DOD will have full cyber readiness by 2014. Full cyber readiness would include offensive cyber capabilities, appropriate level of cyber defenses and intelligence that is critical to cyber offensive and defensive capabilities.

The United States is not the only one taking actions to mitigate the threat in cyberspace. Just recently the British Parliament’s Joint Intelligence and Security Committee asserted the need for aggressive retaliatory cyber strikes against those who attack the U.K.’s cyber defenses.  They made it clear that they want their security agencies to become more aggressive and pursue those who attack Britain’s cybersecurity.

Australia also has made comments contributing to the international cyber efforts. The head of Australia's leading spy agencies stated that cyber warfare is one of the most serious threats to their national security and also disclosed the dramatic changes in the security environment in the recent past.

The news about cyberattacks, cyber espionage and evolving cyber threats has not been good lately. All this has combined to have many who monitor the cyber threat domain asking why the change and new sense of urgency? What do they know that the general public doesn’t? 

In honor and remembrance of Petty Officer Third Class John Thomas Larimer of the Navy Fleet Cyber Command, and all the victims of the July 20 shooting tragedy in Aurora, Colo.