Position Paper 2: Cyber Security

How The U.S. Acts on Cybersecurity

There are several instances in the United States where they are taking actions against data breaches. The most recent instance is when China hacked Microsoft. What happened was a Chinese hacker group supposedly working for the Chinese government hacked into Microsoft's mail and calendar server program called Exchange. CISA (U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) issued a rare emergency directive that requires all government networks to update Exchange as it blocks the hackers.

Another way the United States is taking action against data breaches is a national security strategy. President Biden plans to make cybersecurity a top priority in national security guidance. Due to another recent data breach at SolarWinds which affected nine agencies so far, the White House seeks to impose substantial costs through cyber and noncyber means on the perpetrators of advanced cyber threats. The White House is also looking to also double down on federal research and development funding, as well as investments in foundational computing technologies. Investment in infrastructure and cooperation with global allies is a key strategy that the White House intends to use in the fight against data breaches.

I think an update in Exchange and other servers can be a proactive measure in lessening cyber attacks. By updating servers with the latest technology, they can be more prepared for cyber attacks than older technology that hackers have more information on compared to something that just came out. Cooperation with the federal government can be a very proactive measure because it allows for investments and research into cybersecurity which can offer greater protection from cyber attacks than a simple update.

Sources:

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/u-s-issues-warning-after-microsoft-says-china-hacked-its-n1259522

https://federalnewsnetwork.com/cybersecurity/2021/03/biden-makes-cybersecurity-top-priority-in-national-security-guidance/