On the recordDecember 16, 2011
I think we really need to discuss the issue of cybersecurity. Cyberthreat is the one thing I think that keeps a lot of us on the Intelligence Committee up at night, how serious a threat it is to our country--we're being attacked on a regular basis. And we as a country need to do what we have to do to go forward and deal with the issue of cyber. Cyber poses one of the greatest threats to Americans from both an economic and national security perspective. We are losing millions of dollars because of cyberattacks. Our intellectual property is being stolen daily just as we speak. Our Pentagon is being attacked as we speak. We have seen countless examples of cutting-edge U.S. ideas being stolen and used for foreign products. Cyber is also a major national security concern. We only have to look at the attack on South Korea's banking system to realize the impact an attack can have on critical infrastructure. In South Korea, depositors lost access to their money and critical investment. Data was lost. An attack like this could happen in the United States if we do not prepare and focus on the issue of cybersecurity. This bill strengthens U.S. cyberdefenses, again, a very important part of this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.
