Americans are at an unprecedented crossroads as criminals misuse digital tools to support their criminal activities, with recent fallout leaving many unable to even fill their prescriptions. Hacking of United Healthcare by Foreign Agents. Cyber-attacks, hacking, and fraud are escalating and causing devastation across the country, and the threat is only getting worse.
97% of organizations report Cyber threats have increased since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war. In 2023, Americans lost a record $10 billion to fraudbreak the previous record of $8.8 billion It is set in 2022.
It is clear that we are facing a tsunami of digital fraud.
This is not a new problem. Back in 2021, overseas agents Hacked the Colonial Pipeline, effectively cutting off access to oil on the East Coast. In 2022, Over 1,300 hacks against hospitals and Other critical facilities have resulted in ransom payments exceeding $100 million. Needless to say, with additional attacks, Social Security Numbers for 2.5 million students It's stolen.
But as the crisis unfolds, the Biden administration's response has been lukewarm at best. While cybercriminals have grown bolder, the federal government's response under President Joe Biden has been marked by a clear lack of action, leaving Americans to grapple with the consequences. There is.
Today, the following Only 0.05% of cybercrime reports result in prosecution. Imagine what would happen if 99.95 percent of robberies and assaults were never prosecuted. The public outcry would be deafening. But when governments fail to crack down on cybercrime, the response is largely silent. The apparent acceptance of these dire statistics represents a clear dereliction of duty by the administration, and the American people are paying the price.
Instead of creating solutions or prosecuting bad actors, the Biden administration blame the victim — American businesses and consumers — for being hacked and scammed.Biden Justice Department selected Condemns United Healthcare and launches investigation. and, New Biden Executive Order on Cyberattacks It does nothing to find and arrest criminals, instead imposing new and expensive requirements on American companies to “secure their data.” This is the same response Democratic-run cities are taking to convenience store robberies.
The Biden administration needs to shift away from this reluctance and leverage existing authorities to combat cybercrime. This means not just issuing statements or convening committees, but taking concrete actions such as enacting strict privacy and data security laws, strengthening cybersecurity infrastructure, and prosecuting cybercriminals. means.
The failure to prosecute and stop hacking is not due to a lack of resources, but rather to the failure of federal agencies to use their resources appropriately. Consider the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC's primary purpose is to protect U.S. consumers. Under the leadership of the Biden administration and FTC Chairman Lina Khan, this practice has been carried out diligently for nearly 100 years, and Americans have been defrauded to the tune of nearly $1 million. 25 billion dollars.
At the same time, the Biden FTC appears incompetent to stop this movement. growing flood of robocalls and spam emails. This is not due to lack of financial resources, The FTC's budget is bigger than ever. Not due to lack of legal authority (robocalls and spam emails illegal since the beginning of this century). The problem is a lack of will to act.
Instead of enforcing the law, Mr. Khan focused the FTC on: attack American companies and assisting foreign regulatory authorities; and away from Protecting Americans.
We and our representatives must take strong action because the Biden administration appears unwilling to do what is necessary to protect the American people. Individuals will need to implement personal cybersecurity measures, such as securing email accounts, using unique passwords for various services, and enabling two-factor authentication and other authentication tools. These steps are critical in situations where personal information is constantly at risk.
Businesses must also do their part by recognizing the real dangers of cyberattacks and ransomware. Proactive security measures are required to protect both customers and businesses from the inevitable attempts by malicious actors to exploit vulnerabilities.
Our elected officials must shake the Biden administration out of its complacency and move it past its deadline. Comprehensive federal privacy and data security legislation is urgently needed by Congress to address the weaknesses exploited by cybercriminals. Additionally, Congress must use its oversight powers in a bipartisan manner to understand why the current administration has failed to effectively combat this scourge.
The rise in hacking and fraud requires a multifaceted response involving individuals, businesses, and governments. Americans can and should take steps to protect themselves, but the onus is on Biden to lead the charge against cybercriminals, put them behind bars, and carry out the mission to protect the American people. It's in the government.
Carl Szabo is Vice President and General Counsel at NetChoice and Professor of Internet Law at George Mason University's Antonin Scalia School of Law.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.
