President Biden made cyber security a focal point of his schedule on Wednesday. He met with his national security team and other public and private leaders to find ways to improve it.
“I’ve invited you all here today because you have the power, capacity, and responsibility, I believe, to raise the bar on cyber security,” Biden said.
The meeting followed several breaches this year alone, perhaps most notably the Colonial Pipeline hack. You’ll remember that breach sent fuel prices soaring and prompted long lines at gas stations along the east coast.
But it was just one of a growing number of cyber-attacks.
In February, a hack into the computer system of a water treatment plant near Tampa, Florida increased the level of lye going into the water. Fortunately, the deed was detected before anyone was hurt.
Weeks before that, a breach of Government IT contractor Solar Winds gave criminals access to government agencies including the Treasury and Commerce Departments.
In May, meat processing company JBA was hacked forcing it to shut down plants in the U.S. and abroad.
Officials pointed the finger at criminals in Russia for that one, as well as the Colonial Pipeline hack that happened before it, leaving people scrambling for gas.
In April, the New York City transit system was attacked. The ferry to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard was also breached at the start of the busy tourist season.
And on Capitol Hill, lawmakers turned to experts for answers.
“We need a comprehensive federal civilian agency cyber security strategy,” former CISA Director Chris Krebs said during a hearing on Capitol Hill.
The breaches also prompted warnings from the White House.
“Companies that view ransomware as a threat to their core business operations rather than a simple risk to data theft will react and recover more effectively,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
President Biden laid out his cyber defense plan months ago.
“We launched a new public/private initiative in April. It begins with 100 days spent to improve cyber security in the electric sector and we’ll follow that with similar initiatives in natural gas pipelines and water and other sectors,” Biden said in May.
The president earmarked $10 billion dollars in his COVID-19 relief plan for cyber security. But the White House stresses that private industry has to do its part.
Biden added, “The reality is most of our critical infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector and the federal government can’t meet this challenge alone.”
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