WASHINGTON, D.C. – In remarks delivered on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, sounded the alarm about the danger of cyber-attacks and called on Congress to immediately begin working on and pass meaningful cyber-security legislation. Senator King’s remarks can be watched HERE.

“To provide for the common defense – that is our most solemn and fundamental responsibility. We're not doing that right now.  We are avoiding, missing, obfuscating and not dealing with one of the most serious threats facing our country…the threat of cyber-attack,” Senator King said. “Every intelligence official that I have talked to in the last two years, every military official, everybody with any knowledge of the defense and national security of this country has emphasized that the most serious threat we face right now is cyber. What does that mean, cyber-attacks: the disabling of critical infrastructure, attacks on our businesses, financial system. This is a direct threat that is heading at us like a freight train on a track. The problem is we see it coming but we’re not doing what we should to deal with it.”

In his remarks, King, who has repeatedly expressed his concern about the national security and economic dangers of inaction on the issue, again warned of the threat posed to the United States by cyber-criminals and foreign governments. He noted that recent cyber-attacks, including the attacks on Sony Pictures and JPMorgan Chase, should serve as a wake-up call to inspire cooperation and quick action in Congress.

“This is a threat we know about. It's important. It's serious. We know at least some of the important things that we have to do to coordinate better between the government and the private sector. We know how we can help to solve this. We just have to summon the political will to do it.…If we don't do that in the face of this threat, shame on us,” Senator King said. “I deeply hope that the next several weeks and months will be time of productive discussion and a commitment to the beginning of a solution to this grave threat facing the United States of America.”

In addition to the myriad national security and infrastructural risks posed by cyber-attacks, American businesses and consumers face daily threats to our economic security.  A study conducted by McAfee and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimates that the annual cost to the global economy from cyber-crime is more than $445 billion, and that economic losses from cyber-crime could translate into more than 200,000 jobs lost in the U.S. alone.

Senator King’s staff has spoken with a variety of Maine businesses within the health, defense, financial, education, and consumer products sectors, almost all of which expressed serious concern about cyber-security or had even experienced some type of cyber-intrusion. In fact, according to the Maine Credit Union League, over the past year data breaches in Maine have cost credit unions around $2 million to replace debit and credit cards and an additional $500,000 for covering fraud.

Senator King has been a strong and vocal advocate of passing cyber-security legislation. As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, he supported the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA), which passed the Committee with bipartisan support last July, but did not receive a vote on the Senate floor.

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