Federal regulation urged on cybersecurity

The federal government must become more aggressive in getting industry to protect computer networks because self-regulation is not working, leading cybersecurity experts told Congress on Tuesday.

The private sector has pushed back, arguing that it can protect itself, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV) said at a hearing on protecting critical industry systems. "Many people will say we should let the market fix it," said James A. Lewis, a technology expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "The government needs to give the market a kick.'' He noted that cars were not made safe until government pressure changed automakers' behavior. Former director of national intelligence Mike McConnell, now an executive at Booz Allen Hamilton, a large federal cyber contractor, said that any fix must be mandatory "because industry is not going to embrace it unless they're forced to do it."