On the recordApril 18, 2012
our Nation's inadequate cybersecurity poses an ever-growing threat to our safety, our prosperity, and our privacy. Attackers go after our intellectual property, our national security, and our critical infrastructure. The McAfee Night Dragon Report, for example, concluded that foreign intruders had access to major oil, energy, and petrochemical companies' computer networks for at least 2 years and likely as many as 4 years. Government reports are equally sobering, though usually classified. One that is not classified is the Department of Homeland Security report recently that attacks on computer systems that control critical infrastructure, factories, and databases increased almost eightfold in just the last 12 months. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has warned that ``the next Pearl Harbor we confront could very well be a cyber attack.'' Majority Leader Reid has recognized the severity of this national and economic security threat and intends to bring cybersecurity legislation to the Senate floor soon. We recognize too the hard work of Chairman Lieberman and Ranking Member Collins of the Homeland Security Committee, as well as Chairman Feinstein of the Intelligence Committee, and Senator Rockefeller of the Commerce Committee. The Cybersecurity Act of 2012, which they introduced--and I am proud to cosponsor--is a good start toward addressing the many cybersecurity threats that face this Nation.…





