IV 111th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1688 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 29, 2010 Ms. Clarke (for herself, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. King of New York, and Mr. Daniel E. Lungren of California) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to supporting the goals and ideals of the seventh annual National Cybersecurity Awareness Month and supporting the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security to raise awareness of cyber threats and enhance cybersecurity in the United States.

Whereas more than 220,000,000 American adults use the Internet in the United States, 80 percent of whom connect through broadband connections, to conduct business, 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 nearly all 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 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 cybersecurity is a critical part of the Nation’s overall homeland security; Whereas the Nation’s critical infrastructures and economy rely on the secure and reliable operation of information networks to support the Nation’s financial services, energy, telecommunications, transportation, health care, and emergency response systems; Whereas cyber attacks have been attempted against the Nation’s critical infrastructure, and the Department of Homeland Security’s mission includes detecting and securing the homeland against cyber attacks, enhancing the resilience of the critical infrastructure and key resources of the United States, and coordinating national preparedness for cyber attacks; Whereas Internet users and critical infrastructure owners and operators face an increasing threat of criminal activity and malicious 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, can cause extensive economic harm, and can disable entire systems; Whereas coordination among the Federal Government, State, local, and tribal governments, and the private sector is essential to securing America’s critical cyber infrastructure; 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 national organizations, policymakers, government agencies, private sector companies, nonprofit institutions, schools, academic organizations, consumers, and the media recognize the need to increase awareness of cybersecurity and the need for enhanced cybersecurity in the United States; Whereas the Cyberspace Policy Review, published by the White House in May 2009, recommends that the Federal Government initiate a national public awareness and education campaign to promote cybersecurity; Whereas the National Cyber Security Alliance’s mission is to increase awareness of cybersecurity practices and technologies to home users, students, teachers, and small businesses through educational activities, online resources and checklists, and Public Service Announcements; and Whereas the National Cyber Security Alliance, the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, and the Department of Homeland Security have designated October as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month to provide an opportunity to educate United States citizens about cybersecurity: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)supports the goals and ideals of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month; (2)supports the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security to disseminate information to the public to raise awareness of cybersecurity threats and enhance cybersecurity in the United States; (3)supports the Department of Homeland Security’s research and development and other activities intended to improve the ability of the United States to prevent, protect against, detect, attribute, report, respond to, and recover from cyber attacks; and (4)congratulates the National Cyber Security Alliance, the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, the Department of Homeland Security, and other organizations working to improve cybersecurity in the United States on the seventh anniversary of the National Cybersecurity Awareness Month.