As Agency Cybersecurity Protections Fall Short, Hatch Presses for Meaningful Oversight
SALT LAKE CITY—Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, issued the following statement following reports that government agencies had not yet implemented appropriate cybersecurity protocols mandated by law:
“The latest cybersecurity reports from various inspectors general shine light on what I have long suspected: many of the government’s information systems remain vulnerable. Despite recent cyberattacks against both government and private sectors, federal agencies have yet to implement even basic cybersecurity standards mandated by law. Meaningful congressional oversight and, if necessary, appropriate legislation are in order.”
Senator Hatch, along with Senator Tom Carper, R-Del., introduced the bipartisan Federal Computer Security Act of 2015 last August, which was included in the final Cybersecurity Act of 2015 and signed into law in December. The provision requires federal agency inspectors general to report to Congress on the security practices and software used to safeguard classified and personally identifiable information on federal computer systems. You can find out more about it here.
