Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to raising awareness and enhancing the state of computer security in the United States, and supporting the goals and ideals of National Cyber Security Awareness Month.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I wanted to talk a little bit about my dad. My dad is 89 years old. He has never owned a credit card. He has never even had a digital telephone. He doesn't have a computer. He doesn't have Internet. He is not interested in any of it. And yet, as removed as he might be from computer technology on a day-to-day basis, as it would appear in his personal life, the truth of the matter is, no one is isolated from high tech today.

His veterans payments, his Social Security payments, his bank transfers, his Medicare, all of this comes to him through computer networks. If anybody messes up those computer networks, my 89-year-old dad will not get the services that he needs. That's why this is so important today.

Today there are some 64,000 hacker programs that are available to consumers for free. In addition, there are 12,000 that if you pay $1,000 for them, you get 1 year's support. Support for a hacker program, can you imagine that. And America's computers are absolutely under siege.

I am proud that in 2002 Armstrong Atlantic University in Savannah, Georgia, began its Regional Center for Cybersecurity Education and Training. This was part of the G-8 Summit which was held in Savannah, Georgia, in 2004, and they played a key role in the law enforcement efforts surrounding the G-8.

Since then, Armstrong Atlantic University has taken on partners of Washington Group International and Bridgeborn, and they are offering all kinds of computer security training programs, from simulating and modeling to visualization, covert channels, cybersecurity and security of networks.

Why is this important? Now, Mr. McCaul said there are 200 million U.S. citizens connected to the Internet. It is even more than that. The numbers of people with access have increased over 182 percent from 2000 to 2005. In 2006, total nontravel-related spending on the Internet is estimated to be over $100 billion. That is a 24 percent increase over 2005. In 2005 the FBI has estimated that American businesses lost $67 billion because of computer crime, and that number of $67 billion in 2005 has moved to over $105 billion in 2007.

The United States is the location of 40 percent of the known command- and-control servers; and because of that, we are the target of attack after attack. Most of these are executed by botnets, which are a collection of broadband-enabled PCs hijacked during virus and worm attacks and seeded with software that connects back to a server to receive communications from a remote attacker. In other words, the botnets all work together to simultaneously and consistently and constantly attack computer networks, such as the Department of Defense, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Department of Energy.

In fact, in America our governmental computers alone get millions of attacks each and every day. It is something that we all should be very concerned about. The United States was the top country for malicious activity, making up over 31 percent of the worldwide total.

Personal information, for example, on veterans in May 2006 was taken home with a Veterans Administration employee, and 26 million veterans had their own personal information compromised simply because one employee took a laptop home. Now 25 years ago that may have required a truckload to carry that many files home. But just think about it, all he did was take a laptop home. And if the employee's house had not been broken into and the laptop stolen, we still might not have known about it. The Department ended up spending $200,000 a day just to operate a call center to explain to veterans how this might affect their service. Of course, there are class action lawsuits that have followed, and there will be a lot more discussion about that.

In September 2000, a 16-year-old young man in Florida intercepted 3,300 e-mails from one Department of Defense operation. He also stole 13 NASA computers.

In February 2001, Gary McKinnon of London took a poorly secured Windows system of NASA and the Pentagon and 12 other military operations and caused almost $1 million worth of damage by just basically playing around.

We know that in March 2007 Max Ray Butler, a 27-year-old computer expert

working as an FBI informant was indicted on 15 criminal counts for allegedly hacking into the U.S. Department of Defense Air Force and other computer-sensitive systems.

The list goes on and on, even to the extent that you have folks in China and North Korea purposely attacking American systems. I will submit some of these for the Record, but the list goes on and on. That is why it is very important for us to support this legislation and have Members talking about it and knowledgeable.

If you think about cybersecurity now, the cost of it is more than what it is for the illegal drug trade in America. This is a huge problem, but it is kind of a quiet problem and this resolution helps raise its visibility.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 716) expressing the sense of Congress with respect to raising awareness and enhancing the state of computer security in the United States, and supporting the goals and ideals of National Cyber Security Awareness Month.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H. Res. 716, the resolution now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 716, a resolution to applaud the goals and activities of National Cyber Security Awareness Month. The Science and Technology Committee has been a leader in the Congress supporting efforts to promote better security in cyberspace, and I am pleased to be able to help raise awareness of this crucial issue.

Each year, Americans become more and more dependent on technology for their daily lives. More than 200 million people in this country use the Internet for shopping, for education, for socializing, for information gathering, for banking and entertainment. An increasing number of Internet users are children and seniors. The Internet is looking more and more like real life.

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, with this growth in usage, we have also seen a startling increase in cybercrime. Bank accounts are being hacked, children are being bullied and harassed on social networking sites, and personal information is being stolen from retailers, universities, and even government agency databases.

The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team, US-CERT, found that security threats to personally identifiable information grew 500 percent between the first quarter of 2006 and the first quarter of fiscal year 2007 to 103,000 reports. Identity theft has topped the list of complaints consumers filed with the FTC for the 7th year in a row, accounting for 36 percent, or nearly 250,000 complaints.

Mr. Speaker, financial crimes are not the only issue; 32 percent of teenagers who use the Internet say they have been victims of cyberbullying. Criminals and terrorists can also use cyberattacks to affect infrastructure, potentially causing physical or economic devastation.

These data breaches and other cybersecurity threats come at a huge cost to consumers and to businesses. GAO reports that 31 companies that responded to a 2006 survey said that data breaches cost an average of $1.4 million per breach. Consumers lose valuable time and energy fixing their credit and recovering lost funds. Clearly, we as a Nation must make a stronger effort at securing cyberspace.

Mr. Speaker, that is why I join with my colleagues in applauding the efforts of the National Cyber Security Alliance, a public-private partnership focused on improving cybersecurity for home users, for small businesses and for educational institutions.

I especially want to thank Chairman Langevin, Mr. McCaul, Chairman Wu, Dr. Gingrey, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Lungren, Chairman Thompson, Mr. King, Chairman Gordon, and Mr. Hall for introducing this resolution. Their leadership during National Cyber Security Awareness Month and year round will help protect us from cybersecurity breaches in all forms.

The National Cyber Security Alliance conducts public education campaigns to alert computer users to potential threats and provides guidance on best practices. They organize events for businesses, universities and the public to raise awareness of cybersecurity. This resolution draws attention to this important organization and the critical cause that they champion.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution commemorating National Cyber Security Awareness Month.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin).

(Mr. LANGEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I reserve my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve my time.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to encourage all of our colleagues to support this legislation. It is critically important, and I want to express my appreciation to all of the sponsors who made such a tremendous effort to bring it here to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 716, a resolution supporting the goals and ideals of the National Cyber Security Awareness Month. I want to thank my ranking member, Mr. McCaul, for his support of this resolution. I commend the other gentleman from Texas for his leadership on this issue as well.

Each year the National Cyber Security Division of the Department of Homeland Security joins with the National Cyber Security Alliance, the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, and other partners to support National Cyber Security Awareness Month. The goal of National Cyber Security Awareness Month is to show everyday Internet users that by taking simple steps, they can safeguard themselves from the latest online threats and respond to potential cybercrime incidents.

Mr. Speaker, these safeguards taken by everyday home and office users are a critical component in protecting not only these individuals themselves, but the larger universe of computer and Internet users as well. We all have a role to play. Unfortunately, though, it would be dangerous to believe that simple steps by end users will sufficiently combat the larger threats associated with an increasingly networked society.

As chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity and Science and Technology, I have held a number of hearings this year on our Nation's cybersecurity posture and the various vulnerabilities in our critical information infrastructure. This is an area where I plan to hold increasing hearings and provide intense oversight because cybersecurity vulnerabilities can significantly impact our national and economic security.

Mr. Speaker, we all know that security networks can help prevent problems like identity theft, but secure networks can also protect our nuclear power plants, our electric grids and other critical infrastructure.

Sadly, the issue of cybersecurity has been largely ignored and misunderstood for far too long. This is an area that needs greater attention and far greater oversight, making sure that both government is doing what it is supposed to do, as well as the private sector, to make sure that our computer networks are as secure as they possibly can be. This is truly an issue of national security.

The oversight that the Homeland Security Committee is undertaking will help change that, but much work remains to be done. I want to commend Chairman Bennie Thompson for the attention that he has given this issue as well.

We must continue to bring together greater attention to this issue by dedicating resources to securing cyberspace, such as increased funding for cybersecurity research and development, but we must also demand accountability and prompt action from those officials tasked with developing comprehensive strategies for securing cyberspace.

I am proud to recognize October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month, and I hope that the passage of this resolution will bring greater attention to the importance and urgency of securing cyberspace.

I want to thank Chairman Gordon for his leadership in bringing this measure to the floor. Again, I want to thank my ranking member, Mr. McCaul from Texas, for his partnership in highlighting the importance of cybersecurity, and I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this important resolution.

I thank the gentleman from Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Members who introduced the bill. I want to thank Chairman Langevin, who I have worked with very closely on this.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge the passage of this resolution, which supports the goals and ideals of National Cyber Security Awareness Month. While I believe it is important to recognize the need for cybersecurity awareness, this is an issue that should not be limited to just one month. Cybersecurity should be on the minds of all of us throughout the entire year.

Computers and the Internet have become an integral part of American business, government and lifestyle. Over 200 million Americans use the Internet on a regular basis. Companies, both large and small, rely on the Internet to manage their business, expand their customer reach and enhance their connection with their supply chain.

Almost 90 percent of all youth use the Internet, and the vast majority of those use the Internet at school. It is important that these children are taught to use the Internet in a safe and secure manner. This will not only protect their own systems from attack, but will provide for their physical safety.

Cybersecurity is also a critical part of our Nation's overall homeland security. The systems that control and monitor our dams, power grids, oil and gas supplies, as well as our transportation systems and other critical manufacturing processes, are connected to the Internet.

Right now, a terrorist organization or a hostile nation-state could disrupt our critical infrastructure systems and do serious damage to our economy without even entering our country. Appropriate cybersecurity practices are essential to overall security.

The dangers associated with online behavior are becoming more and more common. These threats range from spam, viruses and identity theft to complex computer attacks created by organized crime, terrorist organizations and possibly nation-states designed to steal sensitive information through espionage.

Organizations, such as National Cyber Security Alliance, are making it their mission to increase awareness of cybersecurity and technologies to home users, students, teachers and small businesses. These organizations deserve to be recognized for their good work and be supported.

While there is much to do, cybersecurity awareness is growing. The Congress has a role to play in encouraging the use of proper cybersecurity practices and technologies throughout our country. National Cyber Security Awareness Month provides a solid platform from which to improve cybersecurity awareness in our country, and I am pleased that this Congress is supporting its ideals and its goals. We have much more work to do, but being aware of the need for cybersecurity is a necessary first step.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 716 and yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Texas for his advocacy on behalf of this resolution. Information technology has become an integral part of our lives. It shapes how we communicate, how we entertain, and how we work with one another. Computers route our phone calls, print our paychecks, constantly tune our Nation's power plants and transmission lines to meet our energy demands. The extent to which our Nation's infrastructure, economy and way of life depend on computers is simply astounding.

Unfortunately, this reliance on information technology has also left us vulnerable to cyberattacks, viruses and worms, as well as identity theft. The National Cyber Security Alliance is a public-private partnership whose mission is to improve the safety of our computer networks at home and at work against those threats.

Mr. Speaker, the NCSA has declared October National Cyber Security Awareness Month and is sponsoring events throughout the country to raise awareness of the significant cybersecurity issues that we face as a Nation. There are straightforward steps we can take as individuals on our personal computers to help protect ourselves.

The NCSA has a Web site to help consumers and small businesses to prevent or respond to cyberattacks at StaySafeOnline.org. It includes tips such as how to create strong passwords, how to protect your children online, and what to do if you think something goes wrong. As part of Cyber Security Awareness Month, we should all visit StaySafeOnline.org and consider how we can better protect ourselves, such as by ensuring antivirus applications are installed and up to date.

Mr. Speaker, I applaud the organizations and agencies involved in the National Cyber Security Awareness Month for their efforts to help us all become more responsible and safer computer users. With that, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Lampson).

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 2 minutes to my friend, the gentleman from California (Mr. Herger).

I want to thank my friend from California.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to my friend, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Kingston).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, I thank the gentleman from Georgia and the gentleman from Texas, and I yield back the balance of my time.