>>> THE MORE WE LEARN ABOUT
RUSSIA’S EXTENSIVE, MONTHS LONG
CYBER ATTACK ON NEARLY EVERY
FEDERAL AGENCY THE WORST IT
LOOKS FOR NEARLY EVERYONE
INVOLVED.
THE GOVERNMENT FAILED TO DETECT
THE ATTACK.
THE GOVERNMENT ONLY LEARNED
ABOUT IT WHEN A PRIVATE SECURITY
FIRM REPORTED THEY WERE HACKED.
"THE TIMES" DESCRIBED THE
ESPIONAGE ATTACK AS, QUOTE,
AMONG THE GREATEST INTELLIGENCE
FAILURES OF MODERN TIMES.
AFTER A BRIEFING TODAY THE HOUSE
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE CHAIR
ADAM SCHIFF RELEASED A BROAD,
VAGUE STATEMENT SAYING IN PART
THE SERIOUSNESS AND DURATION OF
THIS ATTACK DEMONSTRATE WE STILL
HAVE ENORMOUS AND URGENT WORK TO
DO TO DEFEND OUR CRITICAL
INFORMATION NETWORKS AND WE MUST
MOVE QUICKER THAN OUR
ADVERSARIES TO ADAPT.
THE DEMOCRATIC SENATOR
BLUMENTHAL HAS BEEN VOCAL
TWEETING YESTERDAY STUNNING.
TODAY’S CLASSIFIED BRIEFING ON
RUSSIA’S CYBER ATTACK LEFT ME
DEEPLY ALARMT.
IN FACT DOWN RIGHT SCARED.
AMERICANS DESERVE TO KNOW WHAT
IS GOING ON.
DECLASSIFY WHAT IS KNOWN AND
UNKNOWN.
SENATOR RICHARD BLUMENTHAL OF
CONNECTICUT JOINS ME NOW.
OBVIOUSLY YOU CAN’T SPEAK TO
CLASSIFIED INFORMATION BUT HOW
WOULD YOU, I MEAN, THERE IS
OBVIOUSLY A LOT OF CYBER
ESPIONAGE THAT HAPPENS AMONG
MAJOR POWERS IN THIS WORLD RIGHT
NOW.
WE KNOW THE U.S. HAS OFFENSIVE
CAPABILITIES AS WELL AS
DEFENSIVE ONES.
WE KNOW THERE ARE ATTEMPTS AT
INTRUSIONS THAT MANY COUNTRIES
HAVE DONE.
WHY IS THIS DIFFERENT TO YOUR
MIND FROM A POLICY PERSPECTIVE?
WHAT MARKS THIS AS SO ALARMING?
>> WHAT MADE ME SO ALARMED AND
SCARED AND FRANKLY ANGRY WAS THE
APPARENT SCOPE AND MAGNITUDE OF
THIS BREACH AND FRUSTRATINGLY TO
ME I’M NOT AT LIBERTY TO
DISCLOSE MOST OF WHAT I KNOW.
BUT THE FACT IS THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE DESERVE TO KNOW BECAUSE
THIS ATTACK WAS VIRTUALLY AN ACT
OF WAR AND I THINK THAT THE
VULNERABILITY IS NOT ONLY AS TO
RUSSIA WHICH UNFORTUNATELY THIS
ADMINISTRATION HAS CODDLED AND
COZIED OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS
BUT OTHER NATION STATES AND
HACKERS.
WE NEED AN OVERHAUL AFTER WE
CLEAN UP THIS MESS OF OUR
NATION’S CYBER DEFENSES.
YOU JUST MENTIONED A POTENTIAL
COMMISSION TO LOOK INTO THE
PANDEMIC, A 9/11 TYPE
COMMISSION.
HE HAVE SPONSORED A BILL WITH
ADAM SCHIFF TO DO THAT KIND OF
BIPARTISAN, NONPOLITICAL
COMMISSION LOOKING AT THE
REASONS AND THE FAULTS AND
MISTAKES MADE IN CONNECTION WITH
THE PANDEMIC BUT ALSO WE MAY
NEED THE SAME KIND OF OBJECTIVE
COMMISSION LIKE REVIEW OF OUR
CYBER DEFENSES HERE BECAUSE IF
YOU LOOK AT IT THE WEB PAGE OF
FIRE EYE, VIRTUALLY A WHO’S WHO
OF CORPORATIONS AND DEFENSE
CONTRACTORS.
>> I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY THE FACT
THAT THIS WAS A PRIVATE SECURITY
FIRM FIGURING OUT THE
VULNERABILITY BEFORE THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT DID AND BEING MUCH
MORE TRANSPARENT AND OPEN ABOUT
WHAT’S HAPPENING, WE’VE BEEN
GETTING VERY LITTLE FROM THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WHATSOEVER.
YOU SAID VIRTUALLY AN ACT OF
WAR.
THAT IS LANGUAGE SIMILAR TO THE
SENATOR FROM ILLINOIS DIG
DURBIN.
THE THING THAT SCARES ME THE
MOST IS SOME ESKA LATING BACK
AND FORTH IN WHICH WE END UP IN
AN ACTUAL WAR WITH CYBER
INTRUSION.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN YOU SAY
THAT AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN ABOUT
THE UNDERSTANDING OF DIFFERENT
GEO POLITICAL ACTORS ABOUT WHAT
YOU CAN AND CAN’T DO?
>> WHAT IT MEANS FRANKLY IS THAT
WE NEED TO MAKE THE RUSSIANS PAY
A PRICE AND RESET OUR
RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM SO THAT
THEY ACTUALLY FEAR US.
WHEN THE GENERAL WAS CONFIRMED
BY OUR COMMITTEE TO BE IN CHARGE
OF CYBER COMMAND HE SAID OUR
ENEMIES DON’T FEAR US IN THE
REALM.
APPARENTLY THEY DON’T FEAR US
MUCH MORE THAN THEY DID THEN.
AND IN THIS REM AS IN SO MANY
WHERE WE HAVE ADVERSARIES AND
POTENTIAL ATTACKERS WE NEED TO
SHOW THEM THAT WE WILL RESPOND
PROPORTIONATELY NOT A TIT FOR
TAT, NOT LEADING TO ESCALATION
BUT SIMPLY IN THE SAME WAY THAT
THEY HAVE ATTACKED US AND IT
COULD BE IN SANCTIONS.
IT COULD BE IN COVE ERT CYBER
ACTION BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY WE
NEED TO STRENGTHEN OUR DEFENSES