US eases up on fighting cyber crime2 min read

A recent poll indicated that Americans view malicious cyber activity as their top security concern—ahead of the economy, nuclear threats, and even the so-called Islamic State. And their concerns are justified. Within the last couple of years, there have been cyber attacks in the US against the electoral system, the financial industry, the power grid, hospitals and more.

Despite these breaches, the US government is simply not doing enough to combat the burgeoning threat of cybercrime. A recent report estimated that, for every 1,000 cyber incidents, just three received a response in the form of enforcement. Malicious cyber actors outside the US are simply getting away with it.

The White House has not opposed specific legislation in this area that has come from Congress — indeed, President Trump has signed all the cyber security bills presented to him — but it has not demonstrated an overarching strategy needed to fight this vital issue. What the Trump administration appears to be doing is actively undoing the progressive cyber security policies of past administrations.

To consolidate power at the National Security Council, the role of White House Cyber Coordinator was eliminated by John Bolton. Indeed, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson removed the Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues, which had served as an important diplomatic arm for US cyber diplomatic efforts. And the White House’s 2018 budget zeroed out funding for the biggest digital evidence training centre in the country.

It’s difficult not to conclude that, for the Trump administration, cyber security is simply not a priority. As a result, Congress has been left to its own devices to enact a comprehensive strategy that aims to identify, stop, and punish malicious cyber actors.

In better news, Congress is introducing more cyber security bills. From 2017 through 2018, an estimated 226 items of legislation focusing primarily or tangentially on cyber security were introduced. However, under 14% of these and just two of the 10 bills signed into law imposed consequences on malicious actors or offered improved measures to counter cyber crime.

For more on this matter, take a look at the story in WIRED.