[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 158 (Tuesday, September 30, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10178-S10179]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 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

  Mr. ROCKEFELLER (for himself and Mr. Bennett) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 697

       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,

[[Page S10179]]

     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.

  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, today I am pleased to submit, along 
with Senator Bennett, a resolution supporting National Cyber Security 
Awareness Month.
  The connectivity provided by the Internet has profoundly changed 
almost every aspect of our lives, but it has also given rise to what I 
view as the next great threat to our national security and our economic 
security, the danger of cyber attack, cyber espionage, and cyber crime.
  At the policy level, responding to this threat requires the 
development of advanced technologies combined with creative new 
Government policies. Above all, we need to focus on improving the cyber 
security of the Federal Government and the critical infrastructure, 
including our electric power grid, communications, banking, and 
transportation systems. These are all critical to our way of life and 
we must work together to ensure they are secure.
  Of course, whatever we do to monitor and thwart bad actors on the 
Internet, we must be careful to preserve the privacy and civil 
liberties of U.S. persons, especially during the transition from a 
legal structure based on older technologies to a legal structure 
designed for the Internet age.
  We must also think about the best way to communicate our national 
cyber security policy to the public. Though some elements of the threat 
and our response must be kept classified, the public needs to 
understand the general nature of the threat we face, the Government's 
responsibility to secure the internet, and how Government involvement 
will affect U.S. persons and privacy.
  Fortunately, I am happy to report an increasing level of interest and 
debate on Capitol Hill and around the country. Here in Washington, in 
the past year, the Senate Intelligence Committee has held two hearings 
and many Member briefings, setup a working group with seven staff, 
sponsored two Technical Advisory Group studies, and worked with other 
congressional committees in a bipartisan manner on cyber issues.
  Back home in West Virginia, at our State Homeland Security Summit, we 
held a productive session focused on cyber security for State and local 
leaders. I have taken on this issue as a priority of increasing 
importance, but much work remains to be done. I encourage everyone to 
help me raise awareness and develop effective channels of communication 
on this issue.
  One of the ways we can raise awareness is by supporting National 
Cyber Security Awareness Month, coming up in October. Each year, the 
National Cyber Security Division of the Department of Homeland Security 
joins with the National Cyber Security Alliance, the Multi-State 
Information Sharing and Analysis Center, and other organizations 
working to improve cyber security in the U.S. to support National Cyber 
Security Awareness Month.
  The goal is to educate and empower Internet users to take simple 
steps to safeguard themselves from the latest online threats and 
respond to cyber crime; and to bring Federal agencies, national 
organizations, businesses, and educational institutions together to 
encourage development and implementation of cyber security best 
practices.
  I thank my distinguished colleague, Senator Bennett, for cosponsoring 
this resolution and for his leadership on this issue. I look forward to 
working with Senator Bennett and other members of Congress to improve 
our cyber security in the future.

                          ____________________