In his State
of Union address Wednesday, President Obama spoke of cybersecurity, giving a
nod to the high-profile breaches that have increasingly plagued both private
companies and the government. Commenting on this, Clinton Karr, senior security
strategist at Bomium said:
"During
the State of the Union address, President Obama raised the issue of
cyber-security, remarking that “no foreign nation, no hacker, should be able to
shut down our networks, steal our trade secrets.” CSOs must be encouraged that
the challenges and dilemmas of the security industry have reached a mainstream
audience. Savvy CSOs will leverage Obama’s remarks to underscore the importance
of cyber security initiatives to board members and executives that may
otherwise be disinclined to support their budgets and investments. However,
President Obama has already come under criticism from organizations that are
concerned sweeping cyber security legislation may be too easily abused;
therefore, it is imperative that technology is the driving force behind
improved cyber security and not just new policy and legislation.
Cyber security
is a bi-partisan issue. If a foreign nation attacks United States computer
systems or network infrastructure, then it becomes an issue of national
sovereignty. Republicans and Democrats alike must agree that securing our
networks and intellectual property is of the utmost importance and must be
willing to reach across the aisle to find common ground.”
