Industry cybersecurity efforts fall short, experts say

Officials stop short of calling for government regulation of industry cybersecurity but tell a House panel, "It's not working."

Industry-led cybersecurity efforts have so far been inadequate to protect networks on which the nation’s economy and security increasingly depend, according to a panel of federal officials, writes Bill Jackson at GCN.com.

James Barnett Jr., chief of the Federal Communications Commission’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, called network operators the first line of defense and praised their efforts before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee.

But “it’s not working,” Barnett said. “We wouldn’t be here talking about it if it were. No one would tolerate this level of criminality, thievery, vandalism or invasion of property if it was done in the physical world, and we can no longer afford to tolerate it in cyberspace.”

Read Jackson's full report on the hearing here.