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Just about two weeks ago, President Obama told the latest graduating class of U.S. Coast Guard officers that one of the most serious, most pressing, most ominous threats to America’s security in today’s world is climate change. As Western Journalism reported about the president’s address to a proud group of young defenders of the homeland, global warming was front and center in Obama’s description of the threat scenario facing the country — a scenario that a Washington Free Beacon Editor’s Blog noted “sounded just delusional.”
And given what’s just been revealed about a massive data breach that could be the biggest ever experienced by the federal government, it would seem that cybersecurity might just move a notch or two ahead of climate change as an imminent threat of extremely serious proportions. Business Insider shares an AP story that says the entire federal workforce — somewhere in the neighborhood of four million people — could be at risk from “China-based hackers” who are suspected of breaking into government computer networks and stealing personal data of federal employees, including those with high-level security clearances.
“The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that data from the Office of Personnel Management — the human resources department for the federal government — and the Interior Department had been compromised.”
The AP report notes that China is thought to have been behind a number of cyber attacks recently, and not just on government databases.
“Chinese groups have persistently attacked U.S. agencies and companies, including insurers and health-care providers, said Adam Meyers, vice president for intelligence at Irvine, California-based CrowdStrike, which has studied Chinese hacking groups extensively.”
A spokesman for the Chinese government denies that his country is involved in the latest data breach, the information from which could be used for financial gain by the criminal intruders. But no matter whether China or some other government or crime syndicate is behind this far-reaching theft of personal information, the hostile act absolutely undermines Obama’s recent boast that he has restored America to being “the most respected country on earth.”
The Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Republican Richard Burr of North Carolina, said the federal government must overhaul its obviously vulnerable cybersecurity systems. Burr is quoted in the AP article: “‘Our response to these attacks can no longer simply be notifying people after their personal information has been stolen,’ he said. ‘We must start to prevent these breaches in the first place.’”
On Special Report with Bret Baier, Charles Krauthammer went a step further. The Fox News contributor said the Obama administration must get tough with China, becoming more aggressive by going on the offense to show that we mean business when it comes to protecting America’s interests.
“It looks as if the technology for hacking sort of exceeds the defense of technologies in this kind of arms race,” he said. “I think the thing to do is be extremely aggressive and to go on the offense. Our defense is obviously inadequate.”
You can see what else Krauthammer and the Fox News panel said should be done about the latest data breach by clicking on the video above.
This post originally appeared on Western Journalism – Equipping You With The Truth