Billy Long: We need a plan to protect our nation from cyberattacks

It seems like every week or two there is a new story about personal information being stolen, corporate secrets taken and government agencies hacked. These threats are real, and we need to combat them. 

Over the years, nefarious actors have become relentless in their pursuit to hack U.S.-based companies, individuals, and the federal government. The scale and frequency of these attacks continue to grow at an alarming pace. 

Now more than ever, the federal government and the private sector need to work together to protect our nation’s cyberinfrastructure.

Cyberattacks can come from anywhere at any time. Nefarious actors can be a lone individual, a group of individuals, a terrorist organization, or a foreign government. The most recent cyberattack, dubbed 'Solar Winds', is a perfect example of why cybersecurity needs to be a top priority in this Congress and for the Biden Administration. 

The perpetrators of this attack, allegedly working with or for the Russian government, breached dozens of private companies and federal agencies. When all is said and done, this will likely be one of the most significant cyber breaches ever perpetrated against the federal government. Not to mention absolutely the most costly to taxpayers as systems will need to be destroyed and rebuilt across several different agencies and departments. 

The fact that Solar Winds was able to operate unabated for years is simply inexcusable and certainly not acceptable. This attack cannot be addressed by simply replacing software. These systems will need to be blown up at the hardware level and completely new systems will need to be developed and installed. Not an inexpensive undertaking across several federal agencies. 

Whether it is this attack by Russia, the Chinese stealing intellectual property, or hacking groups attacking websites or corporations, we need to come up with a comprehensive plan to protect our nation’s cyberinfrastructure.

A key to this is working hand in hand with the private sector. Congress needs to formulate a plan to facilitate public-private partnerships with cybersecurity firms and corporations. This will be key in ensuring that both public and private information technology infrastructure is secure from cyber threats. These public-private partnerships must also focus on securing the supply chain. 

President Trump made great strides in ensuring the supply chain is secure by removing Chinese telecommunications equipment and I hope that President Biden follows suit.

There is only so much the government can do though. A key part of making sure that your personal information is safe from hackers is to remain vigilant. Never give your personal information to someone over the phone, through email, or any other form of communication unless you absolutely trust them. Never use the same password across multiple platforms. 

If a company that has your personal information suffers a cyber-attack and your password is compromised, hackers can get into other accounts that you may have. Having a separate password across your online accounts will limit your exposure should your information be stolen in a cyber-attack.

Together, individuals, the federal government, and the private sector can work to prepare for and protect our nation from cyber-attacks. The federal government needs to take these cyber-attacks seriously. And in the category of 'too little too late' Congress needs to create a bipartisan, apolitical framework to protect our cyberinfrastructure, secure federal information technology infrastructure, and ensure that our intellectual property is protected. 

While running for President, President Biden stated he will not stand idly by in the face of cyberassaults on our nation. I hope that he will make good on his word and am looking forward to working with the President and my colleagues to come up with a plan to protect our nation from cyberattacks.