14 DAY TRIAL // The United States Attorney General Eric Holder has asked Congress to create a national standard for reporting cybercrimes. Holder believes that this would help not only consumers, but also the Department of Justice.
In his weekly address, the attorney general says that a system should be put in place for alerting consumers whose information is compromised in a breach as quickly as possible.
Furthermore, such legislation would be of great aid to the Department of Justice in combating crime, preventing identity theft, protecting individual privacy and bringing cybercriminals to justice.
Unsurprisingly, Holder references the recent data breach suffered by Target in which the personal information of 70 million people and as many as 40 million payment cards have been compromised. The official has reiterated that the Department of Justice and the Secret Service are investigating the incident.
“[We] are moving aggressively to respond to hacking, cyberattacks, and other crimes that harm American consumers – and expose personal or financial information to those who would take advantage of their fellow citizens,” he said.
The US attorney general highlights the fact that cybercrimes are becoming more and more common and while law enforcement is trying to prevent such crimes, he believes that lawmakers should “provide the tools” needed to do even more.
Holder wants a law that would require businesses impacted by data breaches to notify consumers and law enforcement.
“Today, I’m calling on Congress to create a strong, national standard for quickly alerting consumers whose information may be compromised. This would empower the American people to protect themselves if they are at risk of identity theft,” Holder said.
“It would enable law enforcement to better investigate these crimes – and hold compromised entities accountable when they fail to keep sensitive information safe. And it would provide reasonable exemptions for harmless breaches, to avoid placing unnecessary burdens on businesses that do act responsibly.”
Of course, Holder is not the only one who wants such a law. Earlier this month, Senators Dianne Feinstein, John Rockefeller, Mark Pryor, and Bill Nelson introduced the Data Security and Breach Notification Act. If the law passes, the FTC has to develop a set of security standards for organizations that handle sensitive information.
In the eventuality of a breach, they will be required to notify both consumers and authorities of the incident. A timely notification will enable consumers to take the necessary steps to ensure that their personal information cannot be misused.
A video message from Holder is available on the official website of the Department of Justice.