The United States is “actively under attack” by enemies in the cyber world, a senator said on Tuesday.
“We are actively under attack. Everyone knows that,” said Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., in remarks delivered at the Chamber of Commerce. “Americans see it every day.”
Daines referenced the Office of Personnel Management breach that took place earlier this year, and argued that the government can’t keep pace with cyber threats without assistance from the private sector.
“As somebody who in 28 years never had my data hacked as a private sector employee until I became a federal employee … I was one of the … federal workers who received a letter from OPM saying that my data had been hacked,” Daines said. The OPM breach, traced to hackers in China, resulted in the theft of more than 22 million personnel files on those who have applied for security clearances from the U.S. government.