Cybersecurity In America

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United States cybersecurity is arguably as important, if not more so, than the US Military. The private sector, civilian businesses and personnel, lost more than $1 trillion in 2008 as a result of cyberattacks. The $4.5 million Predator military drone, had its camera feed hacked by a $26 dollar piece of software widely available on the Internet (Marshall,1). Neither the government nor the private sector is immune to security breaches, but which group is better equipped to protect America’s interests? Some critics will claim the forward-thinking private sector should set the standard for companies to follow. Opponents believe only the government has the power to establish a baseline for which the government and the private sector should …show more content…
Individuals question what kind of response a 200-year-old government can provide to modern-day threats. Some believe that even if Congress had the ability to adopt a utopian cybersecurity law, it would be short lived because of the endlessly evolving nature of cyberspace. Those who support private sector cybersecurity also arguing that breaches only happen because their networks are consistently being attacked. Furthermore, economic experts believe if the government enacts legislation, many of the cybersecurity professionals would leave America to seek employment in other countries (Clinton, 1). Because of these potential political, social and economic woes, government legislation could stifle innovation and financial …show more content…
When the Bush administration created the DHS, the creation of an entire branch of the Department of Defense was immediately dedicated to cybersecurity. The Obama administration strengthened the groundwork laid out by the previous administration by bringing in valuable and talented resources from the private sector and from foreign governments to combat the constant threats. The Cyber Information Sharing and Collaboration Program (CISCP) was an initiative created by the government to allow the sharing of details about attacks and breaches within a vetted group of companies and government agencies so that they could work together against the attacks (White House, 1). As of July 2015, 125 various private sector companies have shared 28,000 attack indicators to help combat intrusions (White House, 1). The government has an additional 156 companies requesting permission to join this cyber task

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