Delaware senator praises government for enhanced cyber security measures

In a statement released on July 31, U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), a ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, gave the U.S. Homeland Security Department two thumbs up for the cyber security measures it has in place.

“Cyber attacks now pose one of the greatest threats to our national and economic security," Carpenter said. "Americans just need to read the news to understand the consistent barrage of attacks our federal agencies, businesses and critical infrastructure face in cyber space -- on a daily basis. This growing threat is too intense for anything but the best defenses. Fortunately, this administration has made cybersecurity a top priority and has focused its attention on cyber best practices for federal agencies and networks."

In June, the administration launched the 30-day Cyber Security Sprint to accelerate progress made on enhancing the federal government’s cyber security.

The Sprint’s preliminary reporting shows great progress in federal agency efforts to further protect information and assets and improve the resilience of federal networks, including: patching critical vulnerabilities, leveraging tools to block high-risk indicators, tightening access for privileged users and increasing the use of multi-factor authentication.

Earlier this week, the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved the Carper-Johnson Federal Cyber security Enhancement Act of 2015, which would provide federal agencies with stronger tools to protect their critical networks and Americans’ sensitive information.