Taking a Look at Cybersecurity’s Future in Legislation
With the presidential debates behind us, and the election day looming, the issue of cybersecurity still remains largely untouched. While a passing topic at some point in each of the debates, the only direct question ever addressing the issue was from the first debate. Moderator Lester Holt asked, according to Washington Post transcript: “Our institutions are under cyber-attack, and our secrets are being stolen. So my question is, who’s behind it? And how do we fight it?” To this 
both candidates seemed to dance around the question, never laying out any real plans of how to deploy resources or change policies. With cybersecurity becoming a more pressing matter in today’s world, what is the future role of politics and legislation in cyber space? What is our role as citizens in progressing the regulations and practices of cybersecurity professionals?
The last enacted legislation was the Cybersecurity Act of 2015. This act is meant to defend against cyberattacks by making a framework for the choice sharing of cyber threat information between the federal government and private entities. The legislation also sets out to protect individual’s privacy rights by making sure that personal information is not unnecessarily revealed.
Looking toward the future, there are currently 28 bills that have been proposed are making headway, according to ISACA’s Cybersecurity Nexxus (CSX) program. Many of these focus on the sharing of information for the sake of security, and strengthening the minimum regulations and security procedures. Out of the 28 bills, three of them have passed the house. The three are as follows:
H.R. 1731, National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act of 2015
This would create a web of information sharing related to cybersecurity risks, and used as a way to strengthen the privacy of all as well as protect civil liberties.
H.R. 3869, State and Local Cyber Protection Act of 2015.
A way to open the communication lines between local and state on cybersecurity with the assistance of the national cybersecurity and communication integration center.
H.R. 5459, Cyber Preparedness Act of 2016.
This would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002. The bill aims to quicken the response and better the capability of professionals to address cyber-attacks, increasing the circulation of homeland security information related to cyber threats.
The three bills, as well as the other 25, show promise for the federal governments future support in issues of cybersecurity. However, with neither presidential candidate seeming to have a detailed plan on the topic, there becomes an added pressure to the House of Representatives and Senate to address the issues that our community and American’s everywhere should be concerned about. The weight of the issue falls to you, and the people you vote for on November 8th.
However, voting isn’t the only way to go about actively shaping the future of cybersecurity. The changes you wish to see, begin with you and your friends and co-workers. Proper user training can be the difference between a security breech and business as usual. Not only does training teach users safe practices, it also brings the issue of cybersecurity to people’s attention. The more that citizens that interact with information security, the more that cybersecurity becomes a relevant issue to the masses. Tiro Security can exclusively offer cost-effective Online Security Awareness training to Small and Medium businesses which is delivered by a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant.
November 8th is fast approaching, and it’s up to us to keep cybersecurity in the forefront of both citizens and elected official’s minds. For more questions on cybersecurity training, please feel free to contact me via LinkedIn or through Tiro Security’s contact page. If interested in further reading about cybersecurity legislation, please visit ISACA’s website.