Deep 7 News

US Bolsters

Cybersecurity Measures

to Combat Digital Crime

from Russia and China

In early March, the White House announced an updated US cybersecurity initiative to combat digital crime, with a renewed focus on stricter digital policy and a targeted approach towards Russia and China as hotbeds for cybercrime. The move to tighten regulations follows a wave of high-profile hacking incidents, both foreign and domestic, according to Reuters.

The bolstered US cybersecurity strategy aims to increase collaboration between the public and private sectors, with a focus on strengthening the country's defense against digital crime. One of the top priorities is to combat ransomware attacks, which are becoming increasingly common. Hackers take over a network and demand payment to return control. An official explained that "The criminal justice system isn’t going to be able to on its own address this problem."

To achieve the goal of making cyberattacks too expensive to be worth the effort, the strategy includes the comprehensive implementation of Zero Trust (ZT) technology across digital federal systems. ZT is an alternative data security method that limits access based on security clearance, according to IBM. Companies are also incentivized to improve their products' digital security across the United States.

While the strategy lacks mention of consumer data protection, there is a growing trend among states to adopt new cybersecurity laws inspired by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) adopted by the European Union in 2016. California, Colorado, Utah, and Virginia are among the states adopting new data privacy laws, marking a shift from "harms-prevention-based" privacy protection to a broader "rights-based" approach, as reported by Reuters.

In conclusion, the updated US cybersecurity initiative is a significant step towards combating digital crime, particularly in light of recent high-profile hacking incidents. While the focus is on strengthening the country's defense against cybercrime and making cyberattacks too expensive to be worthwhile, there is also a growing trend towards consumer data protection in individual states.