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All aboard the cybersecurity train: Lessons for cybersecurity from the NTSB

by David Bahr
May 9, 2018
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issues: Cyber Threats, Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Policy, Federal Government Affairs, Technology and Innovation
Washington DC (May 9) – This month marks the one-year anniversary of the Equifax data breach – the largest in U.S. history. While the scope and damage of the incident are still tough to fathom, in light of the regular occurrence of cyber breaches in recent years, it is hardly surprising. Indeed, just last year, there were more than 53,000 incidents and more than 2,200 breaches in the United States alone.

In a new policy short, R Street Senior Fellow Paul Rosenzweig, argues that it is time for the U.S. government to begin the systematic collection and assessment of the causes of these breaches. There is precedent for this – the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reviews and reports on the causes of transportation crashes and recommends ways to improve safety. Similarly, the creation of a “Computer Network Safety Board” (CNSB) could help to review and propose solutions to future cyber incidents.

The author concludes that an assessment of cyber failures is an essential component of cybersecurity success and adds that the United States should, “consider the creation of a wholly independent board to determine the probable cause of cyber intrusions and, as appropriate, to recommend network safety improvements.”

 

 

 

 

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