In cyber security—companies, hackers and victims dominate the headlines. However, another group is emerging in cyber security efforts, the United States government. Legislators are drafting bills to promote strong cyber security. The bills vary from veteran affairs and education to government and corporate relationships.
Companies and consumers want their data safeguarded from hackers. In light of the attacks on corporate giants, Anthem, Target and Home Depot, the government is trying to find its role in protecting citizens and their information online.
The government’s involvement in cyber security leaves a gray area in transparency between legislators and the private sector. However, if it is not possible to find middle ground between the government and corporations, there are bipartisan efforts that focus solely on internal departments.
Currently— two bills introduced in the House of Representatives concentrate on internal efforts, including the H.R.53 – Cyber Security Education and Federal Workforce Enhancement Act and H.R.1128 – Department of Veterans Affairs Cyber Security Protection Act.
H.R.53 – Cyber Security Education and Federal Workforce Enhancement Act strives to:
• Recruit cyber and computer security professionals
• Provide training and support for K-12, secondary and post-secondary educational institutions
• Offer youth training programs
• Support underrepresented minorities in computer science programs
H.R.1128 – Department of Veterans Affairs Cyber Security Protection Act proposes to:
• Report on any failures to comply with established information security policies and the actions taken in response to incidents, quarterly to congressional veteran committees
• Identify and replace out-of-date or unsupported operating systems on an annual basis
• Create a strategic plan for the veteran committees, that focuses on information security improvements, which should be updated at the minimum of every two years
Additional cyber security bills, include:
H.R.234 – Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act
S.456 – Cyber Threat Sharing Act of 2015
H.R.60 – Cyber Defense National Guard Act
H.R.104 – Cyber Privacy Fortification Act of 2015
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