Silicon Valley’s lawmaker wants to make sure every federal employee knows how to securely interact with technology, including the internet-connected devices that are proliferating throughout the government.
On Monday, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., will introduce legislation that would mandate that all federal employees receive training in basic cybersecurity practices. The training, overseen by the Office of Management and Budget, would also teach feds to identify and mitigate security risks associated with the internet of things.
Specifically, the bill would revise title 44 section 3554 of U.S. Code, which outlines federal agencies’ various responsibilities for protecting their information security. While the amendment is only 17 words long, it could go a long way in elevating the importance of cyber hygiene across the federal government, especially as more of its physical infrastructure connects to the internet, according to Khanna.
“The internet of things is very exciting. It’s going to help connect so many of ... the gadgets we use into one system, but that also makes them vulnerable to [threats],” Khanna said in a conversation with Nextgov. “It certainly makes our federal government and our federal agencies vulnerable, so I wanted to make sure every federal employee has that basic training so they understand how to protect very sensitive systems in agencies.”
Many federal employees already receive some form of cybersecurity training as part of their jobs, but Khanna said the scope and quality of instruction varies across organizations. Through the bill, he intends to provide all feds with a baseline understanding of cyber hygiene, especially in relation to the internet of things.
Specifically, the training programs should teach every employee to avoid behavior that could allow in ..
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