Due to the increase in cyber threats over the past several years, the Obama administration has decided to form a new agency dedicated to bringing different government agencies together to share information in the hopes of addressing cyber threats more quickly. The new agency will be called the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center and the center will be modeled after National Terrorism Center.
Lisa Monaco, the assistant to the president for homeland security and counter-terrorism, told The Washington Post,
“The cyber threat is one of the greatest threats we face, and policymakers and operators will benefit from having a rapid source of intelligence. It will help ensure that we have the same integrated, all-tools approach to the cyber threat that we have developed to combat terrorism.”
One of the main concerns and motivation for establishing the center is the cyber threat to critical infrastructures and major corporations – threats that may even come from other countries, as is suspected in the recent cyber-attack on Sony.
But the establishment of the new agency isn’t without its controversy. According to Melissa Hathaway, a former White House cyber-security coordinator and president of Hathaway Global Strategies,
“We should not be creating more organizations and bureaucracy. We need to be forcing the existing organizations to become more effective — hold them accountable.”
In addition, some are suspicious of the ways the government may use citizen information. Nuala O’Connor, president and CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology, said during a panel with finance and tech chief executives,
“Wholesale collection of data into the hands of the federal government is not a solution to the problem. I should have the right to engage in a digital world without feeling like I’m being spied on by the government.”
One thing is for certain- data security is becoming a growing concern for everyone. The enforcement of government regulations and increase in fines related to improper data handling will force businesses to reconsider their lack of policies in this area. If you are a business owner or manager who is interested in protecting your company from data breaches and fines associated with improper handling of your outdated and unused data containing devices, contact us for a complimentary consultation.