David Turetsky Quoted by The Hill on U.S. Government Cybersecurity Risks

The Hill, for its article “Sony hack: Is Congress next?” quoted Akin Gump public law and policy partner David Turetsky on concerns surrounding the U.S. government’s cybersecurity risks.

The article notes that U.S. government agencies and congressional offices are potentially vulnerable to a similar cyberattack as the one that hit Sony Pictures. Though in the last five years the government has been working to increase security over its massive online system, former Federal Communications Commission top cybersecurity official Turetsky said, “It’s a real challenge for government to have the budget and the skill set — the people — to keep up across the board. They try, but budgets force choices and government salaries are different than the private sector.”

Turetsky added that due to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), congressional email security may never be a top priority, saying, “I don’t think what motivates the typical government employee to care about cybersecurity as they do is a personal worry that their non-classified emails, which are subject to FOIA, might get hacked. It’s just not the reason that’s uppermost in their minds.”