William F. Smith: “I support this legislation that increases the cybersecurity networks at our universities, businesses, and national…”

“I support this legislation that increases the cybersecurity networks at our universities, businesses, and national laboratories. The facts speak for themselves. Last month, the CERT Coordination Center operated by Carnegie Mellon University reported that breaches in security of computer systems more than doubled from the year 2000 to 2001: 52,000 incidents were reported in 2001, up from 22,000 the year before. By comparison, in 1995, the number of incidents reported was only 2,400. Last spring, the Subcommittee on Crime, of the Committee on the Judiciary, that I chair, held a series of hearings on cybercrime. We heard testimony from local, State, and Federal officials, as well as individuals from the private sector. A common theme emerged: the demand for highly-trained and skilled personnel to investigate computer crimes is tremendous. This problem is compounded by the rapid advances in technology which make continual training an absolute necessity. In this new age we must have training both for a new generation of cyberwarriors, whose most important weapon is not a gun but a laptop, and for private sector companies who must continually protect their Internet presence.”