Glen Head, NY— Today, Congressmen Steve Israel (D-NY) and Tom Graves (R-GA) hosted a bipartisan forum with dozens of companies at New York Institute of Technology – Old Westbury to discuss cybersecurity and the threat cyber-attacks pose not only to the security of our nation, but also to New York businesses, families and community leaders on Long Island. During the forum they discussed creating a strategy to combat cyberattacks and educating the next generation of cyber warriors.
“One of the biggest threats to our national and economic security is the thousands of cyberattacks waged on our businesses and communities every day. Partnering with local companies, elected officials, colleges and universities, we can lay the groundwork to make Long Island the cybersecurity capital of America,” said Rep. Israel. “Cybersecurity is not a partisan or regional issue, it affects all Americans, which is why I want to thank Rep. Graves for joining me in hosting a bipartisan cybersecurity forum on Long Island – working together we can protect cyberattacks from hurting our economy and our country.”
“I was proud to partner with Rep. Israel to hold today’s cybersecurity forum. While our districts are geographically and politically different, cybersecurity has no boundaries. That’s why I was excited today to see Democrats, Republicans, industry and scholars collectively discussing ways to secure our digital networks and databases and sharing best practices. Continuing to work together, we can find solutions to secure our cyber networks and protect families and businesses,” said Rep. Graves.
“While the campaign to stop cyber-crime begins with educating the next wave of professionals and creating the human capital to bring jobs to our region, this type of ongoing education and idea exchange are the ultimate keys to confronting cybercrime,” said Edward Guiliano, Ph.D., NYIT president. “NYIT, with our graduate programs in Cybersecurity and our deep research commitment to the field, enjoys being part of this consortia of government, industry, and academic partners seeking to put Long Island at the forefront of cybersecurity innovation.”
"Forums like this are extremely valuable because they bring together stakeholders from the government, academia and the private sectors to discuss both challenges and solutions for critical infrastructure cybersecurity. Indeed, public private partnerships will play a critical role in addressing the pervasive and evolving nature of cyber threats,” said Jamie Brown, Director of Global Government Relations, CA Technologies.
“Congressman Israel used the word “Cyber Warriors” in his Cyber Consortium event with Congressman Graves. That is the proper term, because cybercrime is the 21st century war that we as a nation must be prepared to fight with better proven methods, because the enemy is not playing by any rules. Congressman Israel’s leadership in bringing LI to forefront with this consortium will create the atmosphere necessary for our region to play a huge role just as we did with the Defense Industry & the lunar module in the past. This will not go away, and can provide high tech jobs, but we must work together, and these meetings are vital to make this happen,” said Peter Goldsmith, President, LISTnet.
“Attending the cybersecurity forum organized by Congressman Steve Israel and Congressman Tom Graves was not just networking event, on the contrary, they are a necessity if we as a nation and individuals are to defeat cyber-attacks from rogue nations or groups. If we mobilize as a nation with all corporations and individuals joining together we will be better prepared to combat these attacks against us in the same way we did in World War II. If we combat these attacks as individuals we will lose, if we stand together and marshal our collective resources, we will prevail,” said Steven A. Castleton, President & CEO, Dionysus Consulting, LLC.
Cybercrime is one of the greatest threats facing our nation, and Long Island is home to a growing cybersecurity industry working to thwart these attacks. In 2014, the number of detected cyberattacks jumped by 48 percent from the previous year according to a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Last year, there was estimated to be 42.8 million cyberattacks, which is an average of about 117, 339 every day. Additionally, according to estimates by McAfee the likely annual cost to the global economy from cyberattacks is more than $400 billion.
Rep. Israel and Rep. Graves are members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and strong supporters of national security programs that protect our nation against evolving threats, including cyberattacks.
**Pictures available upon request**
###