A congressionally created commission on Wednesday proposed sweeping changes to how the federal government approaches cybersecurity in an effort to better defend the U.S. against increasingly bold and devastating digital attacks., including the creation of a Senate-confirmed National Cyber Director, House and Senate Cybersecurity Committees, a special fund to respond to and recover from cyberattacks and the creation of a Bureau of Cyber Statistics.
The recommendations would need congressional approval to take effect and, in some cases, new funding and approval across numerous federal agencies. The commission's report recommends giving the administration the authority to declare a "cyber state of distress," which would trigger state and local access to a Cyber Response and Recovery Fund.
King said: "The big picture is really important. We have to reorganize to cope with this problem or it's only going to get worse."