Cyberattacks are a growing threat against America's economic and national security, Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson said in Saturday's
weekly GOP address, calling for legislative action to be taken to stop that threat.
"Cyberattacks may not dominate the headlines every day, but they present a crucial challenge to the safety and security of this nation," the Wisconsin Republican said. "Reducing this threat would benefit every American. Ignoring it will guarantee that future attacks will produce headlines describing lasting harm to America."
Story continues below video.
And while there are challenges to the nation's economy and the security of its borders, which Johnson said also deserves immediate attention, Johnson said, the recent "cyberattacks against Anthem Healthcare, Sony Pictures, Target, a Department of Defense Twitter account, and JP Morgan Chase have raised public awareness of the threat we face."
Two years ago, then-National Security Agency Director Keith Alexander called cyber crime the "greatest transfer of wealth in human history," said Johnson, and since that time the threat has continued to grow.
"It is estimated that cyberattacks cost U.S. businesses approximately $100 billion per year," he said. "And a successful attack against our electrical grid or industrial control systems that operate other critical infrastructure, could put American lives, and our very way of life, at risk."
Johnson said he was glad to hear President Barack Obama say he is willing to work with Congress on legislation to address the cybersecurity issue.
"Enhancing America’s cybersecurity is a priority of my committee, and was the subject of my first hearing as chairman," said Johnson. "It is the focus of other committees in Congress, and we are working with them to craft a legislative solution that takes important first steps in mitigating the threat."
But to improve efforts, those in the private sector and the government will need to start sharing cyberattack information, including threat signatures and other indicators, Johnson said.
Obama last week signed an executive order to help ease privacy worries in hopes of easing industry fears of sharing companies' data with the government, reports
The Hill.
Further, the Intelligence Committee expects to
introduce a bill next week to provide extra privacy protections, in hopes of encouraging companies to share information while helping guard them from the possibility of lawsuits.
"The only way private sector organizations will share this critical information is if they are protected against lawsuits filed against them as a result of their sharing of information," said Johnson.
"In the past, special interests in Washington have blocked this necessary liability protection. Hopefully, now that the president has acknowledged cybersecurity as a priority, all interested parties will realize that the greater threat to Americans’ privacy and liberty really are the cyberattacks themselves."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.