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The of the White House Outgoing cyber czar Harry Coker called for three key things to tackle the growing threat of digital attacks: more funding, deregulation and opening up cyber jobs to those without college degrees.
As adversaries like Iran, China and Russia launch near-constant attacks on US digital infrastructure, “we must prioritize cybersecurity within federal budgets,” President Joe Biden’s national cyber director said at an event with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington, DC.
“I would love for the incoming administration, or any administration, to recognize the priority of cybersecurity,” Coker said.
He added that he understands that the US is in a “difficult budget situation”.
“I understand that and I support moving toward deficit reduction, but we need to prioritize cybersecurity within our current budgets,” he said.
“I would love for the incoming administration, or any administration, to recognize the priority of cybersecurity,” Coker said. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
At the same time, the Biden appointee criticized “duplicative federal regulation” and said he had heard from those working to protect the nation’s online infrastructure that they spend “between 30 and 50 percent” of their time working to comply with the regulation. rather than guaranteeing protection against hackers.
“Armed with the industry’s call for streamlining, we worked with Congress to draft bipartisan legislation that would bring all stakeholders, including independent regulators, to the table to advance regulatory harmonization,” he continued.
“Many of us were disappointed that this has not yet become law, but we have laid the groundwork for the next administration in Congress to do the right thing for our private sector partners.”
His request comes as the United States grapples with the aftermath of one of China’s largest attacks on American infrastructure in history, dubbed Typhoon Salt.
A Chinese intelligence group infiltrated nine US telecommunications giants and gained access to the private text messages and phone calls of Americans, including senior government officials and prominent political figures.
China was behind a series of major cyberattacks on the US this year. (PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP via Getty Images)
A Chinese intelligence group recently infiltrated nine US telecommunications giants. (REUTERS/Adriano Machado)
The Salt Typhoon hackers also gained access to a comprehensive list of phone numbers the Justice Department had tapped to monitor people suspected of espionage, giving them insight into which Chinese spies the US had caught and which they had missed .
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China was also behind a “major” hack of the Treasury Department in December, which gained access to unclassified documents and the workstations of government employees.
And earlier this year, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo’s communications were intercepted by Chinese intelligence, just as she was making determinations on new export controls for semiconductors and other key technologies. The same hacking group also targeted officials State Department and members of Congress.
Amid this onslaught of attacks, Coker said the cyber industry is suffering from a hiring problem.
“There are nearly 500,000 open cyber jobs in this great nation today,” he said.
“The federal government is leading by example … by moving the hiring of federal employees and contractors from a focus on college degrees to a focus on what we’re really looking for: skills.
“When we eliminate the requirement for a four-year college degree, we expand our talent pool,” Coker continued. “Many Americans don’t have the time or the means to go to college for four years, but they can do it for two years or less.”
