Cybersecurity threats have become the unfortunate reality of the 21st-century political landscape, and this issue requires a comprehensive response on behalf of all parties involved. Richards (2015) highlights the government’s leading role in the context of cyber threats while stating that the number of attacks is still on the increase (para. 2). This role must include decisive actions in terms of strict cybersecurity policy and legislation, as current measures have been insufficient so far.
Since it is the government’s duty to ensure the protection and well-being of citizens and organizations, this position seems reasonable. Richards (2015) says that electronic payment systems have been particularly vulnerable to hackers, which negatively affects related organizations and citizens who have trusted them with their money (para. 3). As a result, the American Transaction Processors Coalition addressed Congress calling for comprehensive measures in the field of cybersecurity (Richards, 2015, para. 6). This organization represents the interests of a large market and expresses common concerns for that sphere. Therefore, the government’s role would be to prepare an adequate response to cyber threats in light of the private sector’s interests.
At the same time, companies facing cybersecurity challenges have their own roles. Kurtz (2015) notes that most organizations attempt to cope with such issues on their own, whereas joint measures would possibly have more success (para. 2). The reasons for such a tendency stem from the companies’ unwillingness to engage in the information exchange process (Kurtz, 2015, para. 4). Accordingly, the private sector must demonstrate a certain level of transparency and communication to support the government’s cybersecurity efforts. As of now, the government considers a range of bills aiming at improving the United States cybersecurity framework, including the H.R.2331 SBA Cyber Awareness Act aims at supervising the cybersecurity of the Small Business administration (H.R.2331 – SBA Cyber Awareness Act, 2019). Overall, this issue remains topical and receives increasing attention on all levels, but additional efforts must be implemented to improve the results.
References
H.R.2331 – SBA Cyber Awareness Act. (2019). Library of Congress. Web.
Kurtz, P. (2015). Congress wants companies facing cyber attacks to share data, and it‘s not a moment too soon.Quartz. Web.
Richards, H. W. (2015). Congressional action on cybersecurity would send strong message to China.The Hill. Web.