III 110th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 697 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

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.