Cyberspace Solarium Commission Slams US Cybersecurity Readiness

A new report released today from the federal Cyberspace Solarium Commission opens with a dire warning: "Our country is at risk, not only from a catastrophic cyberattack but from millions of daily intrusions disrupting everything from financial transactions to the inner workings of our electoral system." 

The report from the congressional commission chaired by Sen. Angus King and Rep. Mike Gallagher - based on a yearlong study -  states that the country is "dangerously insecure in cyber." 

For the US public sector, the major threats are attacks on elections and other democratic institutions, espionage against both the military and its suppliers, targeting civilian agencies for espionage, and the loss of US leadership in key technology R&D, according to the commission.

Primary threats against the US private sector are cybercrime and malware, intellectual property theft, and risks to critical infrastructure. To protect against both public and private threats, the report proposes a three-level defense in depth encompassing six pillars of action.

The three layers will be familiar to those who know broad military strategy: Shape behavior, deny benefits, and impose costs. To put it in very simple terms, the US strategy should be to make it more difficult and less profitable to attack its resources.

The tactics to enable those strategies are divided into five pillars: Reform the US Government's Structure and Organization for Cyberspace, Strengthen Norms and Non-military Tools, Promote National Resilience, Reshape the Cyber Ecosystem toward Greater Security, Operationalize Cybersecurity Collaboration with the Private Sector, and Preserve and Employ the Military Instrument of Power. Within each of the pillars are very specific recommendations for legislation and action, more than 60 in all, including 48 recommendations for legislation.

For more, read here.

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