Ruppersberger Applauds President's Authorization of Sanctions Against Cyber Criminals

Statement

"As cyber threats targeting our nation's critical infrastructure, corporations and citizens grow increasingly aggressive, I applaud the President's Executive Order to impose sanctions on the perpetrators of these serious crimes. Sanctions have always been a useful tool in the weapons arsenal against those intent on doing us harm, and the cyber battlefield is no different.

Cyber attacks like those against Target, Home Depot and PNC are costing American companies billions of dollars each year. With Sony, we saw the first destructive attack in the United States -- where the perpetrator successfully shut down a system. It is only a matter of time before critical infrastructure, such as our grid system or cell phone towers, could come under siege.

This Executive Order should complement passage of my bipartisan bill that enables information-sharing between the public and private sectors. The "Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act" twice passed the House by wide bipartisan measures but stalled in in the Senate. I encourage the Senate and President to support this legislation so that we can stop addressing cyber attacks after the fact."

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