The cybersecurity industry will be represented at President Obama’s State of the Union address next week.
Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) on Thursday said he will bring Tim Hebert, CEO of information technology firm Atrion, as his guest to the Jan. 12 speech. The Rhode Island-based Atrion helps companies secure their networks, protect sensitive data and comply with cybersecurity standards.
{mosads}Langevin invited Hebert to display the importance of bolstering the country’s cybersecurity.
“Cybersecurity is an issue of economic and national security, and given the complex threat landscape we face as a nation, I hope that the president will address the need for strong cyber defenses in his speech,” said Langevin, who co-chairs the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus.
In its various previews of the upcoming speech, the White House has not yet indicated whether it will touch on cybersecurity.
The issue became a prominent concern for the government in 2015 after massive hacks at the Office of Personnel Management, which exposed more than 20 million federal workers’ sensitive data and highlighted the government’s lagging cyber defenses. A series of data breaches across the private sector at leading health insurers, retailers and hotels also revealed the widespread nature of the problem.
In response, both the Obama administration and Congress took some initial steps to shore up cyber defenses.
In April, Obama signed an executive order giving the government greater authority to levy sanctions on those behind cyberattacks. The White House in September also signed a pact with China to end corporate hacking.
And just last month, Congress finally passed a bill that encourages businesses to share more data on hacking threats with the government.
In his 2015 State of the Union address, Obama made history with an unprecedented pitch for action on cybersecurity.
“If we don’t act, we’ll leave our nation and our economy vulnerable,” he said. “If we do, we can continue to protect the technologies that have unleashed untold opportunities for people around the globe.”
The speech came just days after the White House rolled out a wide-ranging cyber agenda, which included several legislative proposals. It also came a few weeks after the administration blamed North Korea for the destructive hack on Sony Pictures Entertainment, putting cybersecurity awareness at an all-time high.
“No foreign nation, no hacker, should be able to shut down our networks, steal our trade secrets, or invade the privacy of American families, especially our kids,” Obama said to a bipartisan standing ovation.
Without a similar legislative proposal to promote, it remains to be seen if the president chooses to prioritize cybersecurity in Tuesday’s address. But Langevin gave the president credit for his 2015 attention to the issue.
“The President has been increasingly active on cybersecurity issues, taking several executive actions to better position the United States to defend itself and our networks in cyberspace,” he said.