14 DAY TRIAL // Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano claims that hackers are constantly attacking financial institutions from the United States.
“Right now, financial institutions are actively under attack. We know that. I'm not giving you any classified information,” Napolitano said at a cybersecurity event hosted by The Washington Post.
Although she didn’t provide any specific details, she did say that some of the incidents weren’t just about launching distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) attacks. She claimed that the attackers were also stealing sensitive information and even money from the targeted institutions, The Hill informs.
The DHS is currently in charge of handling the security mechanisms for civilian agencies, but the Napolitano’s organization has on numerous occasions urged Congress to instate proper legislation to help protect critical infrastructures.
During the event sponsored by the Post, the Homeland Security Secretary made an interesting comparison between the effects of Hurricane Sandy and the effects of cyberattacks on the nation’s critical infrastructure.
She emphasized the fact that a cyberattack could disrupt utilities, water plants and pipelines in the same way Hurricane Sandy did.
“If you think that a critical systems attack that takes down a utility even for a few hours is not serious, just look at what is happening now that Mother Nature has taken out those utilities,” she explained.
The cybersecurity executive order that might be issued by the White House should cover many of the aspects a proper piece of legislation should cover, Napolitano said.
However, she underscored the fact that an executive order was not as efficient since “there are some things that only legislation can provide.”
In the meantime, Republicans argue that the White House should leave it to congress to find a proper solution, instead of issuing an executive order.