September 13, 2019
Background: The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has advanced bipartisan legislation from U.S. Senators Mark Warner (D-VA) and Cory Gardner (R-CO), co-founders of the Senate Cybersecurity Caucus, to improve the cybersecurity of internet-connected devices. The Internet of Things (IoT) Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2019 requires devices purchased by the U.S. government to meet certain minimum-security requirements.
The following statement can be attributed to Jonathan Spalter, president and CEO of USTelecom:
“The Internet of Things is transforming the way we live and work, but with unprecedented connectivity and innovation comes an escalated risk of cyberattack and malicious activity. USTelecom members are committed to working with government to confront this threat head on. Senators Warner, Gardner, Hassan and Daines are leading the charge to combat these vulnerabilities with a common sense plan to bolster federal government procurement power and increase cybersecurity for IoT and connected devices.”
With an estimated 20 billion IoT connected devices in service by 2020, the cyberattack surface is substantial and growing. The global cost of cyber-crimes is expected to reach $6 trillion annually by 2021.