Cyber-attacks on "critical infrastructure" and theft or espionage involving commercial intellectual property remain the top concerns of the global cybersecurity community, Robert L. Strayer, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Cyber and International Communications and Information Policy at the U.S. Department of State said Thursday (April 19).

In remarks at the Media Institute's monthly luncheon in Washington, Strayer emphasized, "No business is unaffected by cybertheft" and warned that "we will continue to see threats to the digital ecosystem."   

Strayer declined, when asked by MCN, to specify media or telecom operators, including cable TV, as part of the "critical infrastructure." But he acknowledged that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies are constantly examining ways to foil "bad actors" who could disrupt or hack into the operations of American companies.

He said U.S. and global partners "have to think of all the misuses" of cyber systems. He emphasized the growing role of the digital economy and noted that international groups such as the G7 and G20 nations "are increasingly looking at technology issues" such as blockchain, that are affecting traditional global systems.

"As we look around the world, we want to assure an open flow of data," Strayer said, but at the same time "it is absolutely critical to preserve a decentralized model." He emphasized that many countries want to regulate the internet, but that U.S. policy will continue to "push back against that." 

Strayer acknowledged that in the U .S. and most democracies, the digital infrastructure is in the hands of the private sector.

"We should not expect companies to operate in cyberspace any differently" than they do in conventional environments, Strayer said, but he warned that the task - including public/private collaboration - may be very challenging.

New cybersecurity standards will be "voluntary," he said, adding that "industry is driving the solution." He cited the need "to achieve maximum economic value" as companies battle cyberattacks.

Strayer cited Europe's "General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)" that goes into effect on May 25, restricting many ecommerce and digital media practices in an effort to assure consumer privacy. He did not offer an opinion about whether such restraints may eventually emerge in the U.S., especially amid the current furor over activities at Facebook, Google and other companies that collect personal data.

He focused, instead, on ways that federal enforcement agencies are developing systems "to improve our defenses" and create a "cyber-posture" to fight cybercrimes. He said that systems are now "so interconnected that these threats can race around the world" almost instantly.

To battle such scourges, Strayer explained that the State Department and other U.S. agencies have about 150 "digital economy officers" at embassies and other locations worldwide to identify potential cybercrimes and to development enforcement tactics, often in collaboration with host countries.

Strayer also cited forecasts that estimate about 200,000 people will be needed to handle America's cybersecurity requirements in the coming years - a significant job creation stimulant.

WASHINGTON. D.C. -- Among the riders that made it onto the omnibus budget bill accord reached lateTuesday (Dec. 15) was a version of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA), which would provide liability protection for companies, including ISPs, who share cyberthreat information with the government and each other.

ISPs supported the bill, but various public interest groups and a number of legislators have argued it guts privacy protections and allows government surveillance overreach. The issue is obviously a hot-button one in an age of growing terrorist threats. Republican presidential candidates debated the issue in their Dec. 15 face-off on CNN, with the candidates divided. Rand Paul, for example, is particularly concerned about government surveillance.

The Obama Administration supports granting the limited liability, though critics of CISA say the budget bill version essentially provides blanket, not narrow, liability protection.

After the bill was added, the American Civil Liberties Union, Fight for the Future and Access Now all criticized the move, calling it an usurpation of the Democratic process, an attempt to expand government surveillance and a failure to protect the Internet.

Fight for the Future said President Obama should veto the budget bill over the issue.

"[N]ow it’s up to President Obama to prove that his administration actually cares about the Internet," Fight for the Future campaign director Evan Greer said. "If he does, he has no choice but to veto this blatant attack on Internet security, corporate accountability, and free speech."