[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 697 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 697
Supporting the goals and ideals of National Cyber Security Awareness
Month and raising awareness and enhancing the state of computer
security in the United States.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 30 (legislative day, September 17), 2008
Mr. Rockefeller (for himself and Mr. Bennett) submitted the following
resolution; which was considered and agreed to
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Supporting the goals and ideals of National Cyber Security Awareness
Month and raising awareness and enhancing the state of computer
security in the United States.
Whereas the use of the Internet in the United States, to communicate, conduct
business, or generate commerce that benefits the overall United States
economy, is ubiquitous;
Whereas more than 216,000,000 people use the Internet in the United States, 70
percent of whom connect through broadband connections, to communicate
with family and friends, manage finances and pay bills, access
educational opportunities, shop at home, participate in online
entertainment and games, and stay informed of news and current events;
Whereas the nearly 27,000,000 United States small businesses, which represent
more than 99 percent of all United States employers and employ more than
50 percent of the private workforce, increasingly rely on the Internet
to manage their businesses, expand their customer reach, and enhance the
management of their supply chain;
Whereas nearly 100 percent of public schools in the United States have Internet
access to enhance children's education, with a significant percentage of
instructional rooms connected to the Internet to enhance children's
education by providing access to educational online content and
encouraging self-initiative to discover research resources;
Whereas almost 9 in 10 teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17, or approximately
87 percent of that age group, use the Internet;
Whereas the number of children who connect to the Internet at school continues
to rise, and teaching children of all ages to become good cyber-citizens
through safe, secure, and ethical online behaviors and practices is
essential to protect their computer systems and potentially their
physical safety;
Whereas the growth and popularity of social networking websites has attracted
millions of teenagers, providing access to a range of valuable services,
making it all the more important to teach teenaged users how to avoid
potential threats like cyber bullies, predators, and identity thieves
they may come across while using such services;
Whereas cyber security is a critical part of the United States overall homeland
security;
Whereas the United States critical infrastructures and economy rely on the
secure and reliable operation of information networks to support the
United States financial services, energy, telecommunications,
transportation, health care, and emergency response systems;
Whereas cyber attacks have been attempted against the United States and the
economy of the United States, and the mission of the Department of
Homeland Security includes securing the homeland against cyber terrorism
and other attacks;
Whereas Internet users and information infrastructure owners and operators face
an increasing threat of malicious crime and fraud attacks through
viruses, worms, Trojans, and unwanted programs such as spyware, adware,
hacking tools, and password stealers, that are frequent and fast in
propagation, are costly to repair, and may disable entire systems;
Whereas coordination between the numerous Federal agencies involved in cyber
security efforts, including the Department of Homeland Security, the
National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the National Science
Foundation, is essential to securing the cyber infrastructure of the
United States;
Whereas millions of records containing personally identifiable information have
been lost, stolen, or breached, threatening the security and financial
well-being of United States citizens;
Whereas consumers face significant financial and personal privacy losses due to
personally identifiable information being more exposed to theft and
fraud than ever before;
Whereas national organizations, policymakers, government agencies, private
sector companies, nonprofit institutions, schools, academic
organizations, consumers, and the media recognize the need to increase
awareness of computer security and the need for enhanced computer
security in the United States;
Whereas the National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, published in February 2003,
recommends a comprehensive national awareness program to empower all
people in the United States, including businesses, the general
workforce, and the general population, to secure their own parts of
cyberspace; and
Whereas the Department of Homeland Security, in conjunction with the National
Cyber Security Alliance and the Multi-State Information Sharing and
Analysis Center, has designated October 2008 as the fifth annual
National Cyber Security Awareness Month which serves to educate the
people of the United States about the importance of computer security:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) supports the goals and ideals of National Cyber
Security Awareness Month;
(2) congratulates the National Cyber Security Division of
the Department of Homeland Security, the National Cyber
Security Alliance, the Multi-State Information Sharing and
Analysis Center, and other organizations working to improve
cyber security in the United States on the fifth anniversary of
the National Cyber Security Month during October 2008; and
(3) continues to work with Federal agencies, national
organizations, businesses, and educational institutions to
encourage the development and implementation of voluntary
standards, practices, and technologies in order to enhance the
state of computer security in the United States.
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