Hearing Demonstrates Urgent Need to Secure Critical Infrastructure

McCaul Opening Remarks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQXFwHwPl_I

Henry on ‘Tip of the iceberg’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufjMbMLIZcc

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A panel of cybersecurity experts urged Congress to act with urgency to pass legislation aimed at protecting against devastating cyber attacks on the nation’s critical infrastructure.  Testifying before the Homeland Security Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee, they cautioned the scope of the threat is greater than the public realizes and the consequences would be more severe.

“We wanted to call to the attention of the American people and members of Congress as to what the real threat is,” said Homeland Security Oversight & Investigations Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX).  “I’ve been dealing with this issue for a long time, but I think it’s important that the American people, most of them don’t understand this issue, have a better idea of what is at risk.”

The former head of cybersecurity at the FBI compared the magnitude of cyber plots to an iceberg.  “The water line is the separation between the unclassified and classified environment, thus the most sophisticated and damaging attacks occur primarily outside of the public’s sight,” Shawn Henry testified, adding he believes most major U.S. companies have been breached by hackers.

Increased online control of critical infrastructure means greater vulnerability ofelectrical power grids, water and transportation systems, oil pipelines, refineries and power-generation plants.  Beyond inconvenience exists the “potential for catastrophic loss of life and destruction of property,” testified Dr. Stephen Flynn of Northeastern University, who described a cascading effect.

“When transformers fail, so too will water distribution, waste management, transportation, communications, and many emergency and government services.  People who take medicines that required refrigeration will quickly face the prospect of going without those drugs. Giving the average of twelve month lead that is require to replace a damaged transformer today with a new one, if we had a mass damage of that scale at a local or regional level the economic and society disruption would be enormous,” Dr. Flynn said.

The panel urged Congress to take action on several cybersecurity bills scheduled for votes in the U.S. House later this week.  “The greatest threat to cybersecurity in America is complacency,” testified James Lewis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies(CSIS).

Four bills are scheduled for a vote Thursday including HR 2096 by Congressman McCaul, the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act.

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