A brave new (cyber) world

Dear Friends,

We are under attack.  Nearly every day, we hear about criminals from around the world targeting our nation’s critical infrastructure and sensitive information through cyberattacks. That is why it’s so important that our nation and government focus on securing our online communications and systems so that consumers, businesses, and the government can be prepared for these attacks.

To help meet this challenge, earlier this week I held a hearing in the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on how the government and private sector can partner to address cyber threats. I also plan to hold a hearing next week focusing on how government and business can collaborate to protect consumers, like you, when our best efforts fail and a data breach occurs, like the recent breaches at Target and Neiman Marcus that affected so many of us.

While Congress has an important role to play in enhancing our nation’s cybersecurity efforts, legislation alone is not enough. Government, business, and academia must work together to find a solution to these problems. Our nation needs a workforce with the technical knowledge and skills necessary to protect our vulnerable digital systems. Here in Delaware, programs like the Cybersecurity Initiative at the University of Delaware are leading the way in educating and training our future cybersecurity leaders. I hope other universities take UD’s lead and begin offering similar programs to fill demand in this growing field.

Cybersecurity affects all of us, so I want to hear your views on this critical issue. You can reach out about this, or anything else, through email or by contacting me on Twitter@SenatorCarper and on Facebook at facebook.com/tomcarper. 

Sincerely,