After the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) showed up as an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) this week discussed the growing security concerns about cyberattacks.
“The recent cyber breach at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was a serious attack on our government, and we cannot continue to have citizens’ personal information needlessly exposed to foreign adversaries and criminals,” Burr, who is the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence chairman, explained. “In passing the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act with an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 14-1, the committee recognized the extreme threat posed by our adversaries who, in addition to the OPM breach, have stolen hundreds of millions of Americans’ personal information in the last year alone, swiped intellectual property, and conducted attacks on our agencies. Not only does CISA propose a solution to help address these threats, it does so in a way that works to ensure the personal privacy of all Americans.”
Burr has championed the cybersecurity cause for the past year, introducing his bill during the first quarter of 2015 and discussing his concerns about the issue at the GOP weekly address in April. The legislation passed through committee on March 3 and now has resurfaced as an amendment to the Appropriations Bill.
“We can no longer simply watch Americans’ personal information continue to be compromised,” Burr concluded. “This bill is long needed and will help us combat threats to our country and our economy.”