Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, called on the White House and Congress to create a new U.S. cyber doctrine and establish an international agreement on standards regarding cyber attacks and security to deter threats, particularly Russia, CNET reported Friday. He said the federal government has been failing to protect critical infrastructures in the country and to prevent disinformation campaigns.Â
Warner, vice chairman of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, noted hackers have already caused billions of dollars in damages across the world, like the Russian military’s NotPetya attack that caused more than $10B in damages to major companies like Maersk and FedEx. The lawmaker then warned that cyber attacks may get worse in the future, requiring more attention from the U.S. government.Â
“The true cost of our cyber vulnerabilities won’t be sudden or catastrophic,” Warner said. “They will be gradual and accumulating.”
To address the cyber-related issues, Warner proposed in his cyber doctrine that the government should:Â
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- Change international norms to address cyber threats
- Work with tech giants to combat disinformation campaignsÂ
- Harden networks, weapons systems and the Internet-of-ThingsÂ
- Realign defense spending to increase budget for cybersecurity
- To support the proposed changes to U.S. cybersecurity policies