The United States could benefit from a single, expert cyber defence agency. A breach at the Democratic Party headquarters is the latest attack to grab headlines. Companies and government offices are threatened daily. But Uncle Sam is handicapped by having a dozen or so entities involved in policing cyberspace.
Cyber attacks are now a big enough menace to hurt the US economy. Breaches cause $120 billion a year in economic damage, partly because of stolen trade secrets, according to lawmakers. Ransomware attacks that encrypt files until a company pays a sum of money were up by 35 per cent in 2015, online security firm Symantec said in a report this year. Phishing campaigns that trick people into clicking on malicious links increased by 55 per cent.
Many US companies could do more to help themselves, but with rogue states involved they also need outside assistance. Targets ranging from United States Steel to Lockheed Martin and DuPont have suffered cyber attacks from state-sponsored hackers in China. North Korea was blamed for the 2014 breach at Sony Pictures Entertainment, which raised the stakes by destroying company files.
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On top of that, there are at least seven cyber coordinating centres that involve some combination of these agencies. As a result, breach victims often don't know where to turn when they discover they have been hacked.
In contrast, the government perpetrators or backers of some attacks have dedicated cyber forces. China recently established the Strategic Support Force for cyber offence and to defend civilian agencies. Russia and Iran also have more centralised strategies.
Establishing a single agency to coordinate the US response could help thwart attacks or handle them more effectively. Cyber criminals and state actors are continually increasing their capabilities. The world's biggest economy - and perhaps its biggest hacking target - has to keep up.
