Eighty-four million viewers tuned into the first 2016 presidential debate, watching as the two candidates were asked how they would address cybersecurity threats. Cybersecurity has become an increasingly dangerous national security threat, as unseen, undetected attacks have jeopardized the operations of major federal organizations and the U.S. government as a whole:

• Between 2011 and 2015, the U.S. Federal Reserve–the U.S. largest federal bank–uncovered more than 50 major cyber espionage incidents that included malicious code embedded in software by hackers.

• In 2014, hackers stole more than 22 million background check records–including five million fingerprint records–from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). These records were those of current and former government employees, including members of the intelligence and law enforcement communities.

• In 2015 and 2016, 330,000 IRS logins and 700,000 consumer social security numbers were exposed–leading to major identity theft issues and crippling monetary losses.

• In early 2016, a hacker released data from the FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Twitter–after gaining access through a Department of Justice employee’s login. Shortly afterward, a hacktivist group released confidential data on NASA aircraft, employees, flights, and projects.

“Cybersecurity continues to be a major domestic, as well as foreign policy, issue for the United States,” said Cloudburst Security Founder and Vice President Adam Bennett. “With major breaches occurring all too frequently, leaders in both the government and commercial sectors must work closely together to expedite progress in securing our nation’s networks.”

While current initiatives  are in place to strengthen government organizations, the U.S. is looking at a more broad approach to bolstering cybersecurity across the federal government. This broad approach includes a 35 percent increase in federal spending ($14 billion planned in 2016 to $19 billion planned in 2017), as well as the implementation of stricter government-wide IT practices, procedures, and standards.

For more information on securing your organization from unseen threats, contact info@cloudburstsecurity.com