Cybersecurity: ‘It’s Impossible To Overstate This Threat’

Democrats ‘We Need To Act Quickly,’ ‘Come Out Of The Dark Ages And Come Into The 21st Century’

JOSH EARNEST, White House Press Secretary: “The fact is, we need the United States Congress to come out of the Dark Ages and come into the 21st century to make sure we have the kinds of defenses that are necessary to protect a modern computer system.” (“White House Jabs Congress: 'Come Out Of The Dark Ages,'” The Hill, 6/5/15)

SEN. FEINSTEIN (D-CA): ‘It’s Impossible To Overstate This Threat... We Need To Act Quickly’

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D-CA): “Congress must take action. … The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, a bill I introduced with Senator Burr, was approved in March by the Senate Intelligence Committee on a 14-1 vote. It would permit this vital information sharing while protecting individual privacy and civil liberties and providing companies with liability protection. I believe this bill should come before the full Senate…” (Sen. Feinstein, Press Release, 6/5/15)

FEINSTEIN: “It’s impossible to overstate this threat: Trillions of dollars, the private data of every single American, even the security of critical infrastructure like our power grid, nuclear plants and drinking water are all at risk. ... We need to act quickly.” (Sen. Feinstein, Press Release, 6/5/15)

“Cybersecurity experts say the Senate could help thwart hack attacks by passing legislation to encourage private companies to share information with the government about data breaches as soon as they are detected.” (“Senate Bill Would Help Thwart Hackers, Experts Say,” USA Today, 6/9/15)

“The Senate legislation has the potential to greatly reduce the number of victims targeted by the same hackers or by hackers exploiting the same vulnerabilities, said Kurt Rohloff, a computer science professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.” (“Senate Bill Would Help Thwart Hackers, Experts Say,” USA Today, 6/9/15)

‘Cyber Attack Hits Millions Of U.S. Federal Workers,’ ‘Criminals …Steal The Tax Returns Of More Than 100,000’

RUSSIA: “Russian hackers who hit the White House infiltrated an unclassified computer system and apparently accessed details about President Obama's schedule. While the White House previously sought to downplay the seriousness of the hack, which took place last year, the intruders were able to see information about the president that was not publicly available, CNN reported Tuesday.” (“Russian Hackers Got Obama's Schedule In White House Cyberattack,” The Hill, 4/7/15)

“The Internal Revenue Service believes that a major cyber breach that allowed criminals to steal the tax returns of more than 100,000 people originated in Russia.” (“IRS Believes Massive Data Theft Originated In Russia,” CNN, 6/4/15)

“The IRS announced Tuesday that organized crime syndicates used personal data obtained elsewhere to access tax information, which they then used to file $50 million in fraudulent tax refunds.” (“IRS Believes Massive Data Theft Originated In Russia,” CNN, 6/4/15)

CHINA: “Hackers broke into U.S. government computers, possibly compromising the personal data of 4 million current and former federal employees, and investigators were probing whether the culprits were based in China, U.S. officials said on Thursday.” (“China In Focus As Cyber Attack Hits Millions Of U.S. Federal Workers,” Reuters, 6/5/15)

“The massive hack that may have stolen the personal information of four million federal employees appears designed to build a vast database in what could be preparation for future attacks by China against the U.S., cybersecurity experts advising the government told CNN Friday afternoon.” (“China Might Be Building Vast Database Of Federal Worker Info, Experts Say,” CNN, 6/6/15)

“In the latest in a string of intrusions into U.S. agencies' high-tech systems, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) suffered what appeared to be one of the largest breaches of information ever on government workers. The office handles employee records and security clearances.” (“China In Focus As Cyber Attack Hits Millions Of U.S. Federal Workers,” Reuters, 6/5/15)

Corporate Hacks: ‘More Than 75 Data Breaches In Which 1,000,000 Or More Records Were Compromised Have Been Publicly Disclosed’

“Since 2005, more than 75 data breaches in which 1,000,000 or more records were compromised have been publicly disclosed.” (“A Quick Guide To The Worst Corporate Hack Attacks,” Bloomberg, 3/18/15)

HEALTH INSURERS: “Health insurer Premera Blue Cross was the target of a major cyberattack, and personal or health data for as many as 11 million people may have been compromised, the company announced Tuesday. Premera said Tuesday hackers gained ‘unauthorized access’ to its systems in a ‘sophisticated attack’ that began May 4, 2014. Just last month, health insurer Anthem disclosed a major breach that may have affected as many as 80 million records.” (“Premera Blue Cross Hacked: 11 Million Customers Could Be Affected,” NBC News, 3/17/15)

SONY: “The studio had been taken hostage by vicious, unknown cyber-criminals who would release the company’s internal data into the hands of the media, leak by leak, eight giant dumps in all. The hacking of Sony Pictures would become ‘an international crisis, the cyber-attack that put Americans’ vulnerability on display, a free speech cause, an Oval Office gut-check, and a cautionary tale for the future of warfare,’ says Rich Klein, a partner at the Washington, D.C.-based advisory firm McLarty Associates. … Whoever hacked the company had not only stolen its internal data; they had wiped out everything in their wake.” (“An Exclusive Look at Sony’s Hacking Saga,” Vanity Fair, 3/15)

HOME DEPOT: “Approximately 53 million email addresses and 56 million credit card accounts were compromised in an April cyberattack on Home Depot Inc., as information about the data breach continued to trickle out this week.” (“53 Million Email Addresses Stolen In Home Depot Hack,” U.S. News, 11/7/14)

JPMORGAN: “Names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of the holders of some 83 million households and small business accounts were exposed when computer systems at JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) were recently compromised by hackers, making it one of the biggest data breaches in history.” (“JPMorgan Hack Exposed Data Of 83 Million, Among Biggest Breaches In History,” Reuters, 10/2/14)

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Related Issues: Cybersecurity, Russia, China, NDAA

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