On the heels of a painful-to-watch volley of insane revelations about the recent Sony Pictures hack, the Department of Justice has announced that it’s creating a dedicated cybersecurity unit. The new unit will be part of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property section. And — here’s the kicker — it will help the private sector avoid cyberattacks.
Details about how exactly all of this will work are scarce, but it’s good news that that the government is investing in cybersecurity instead of just talking about it. For years now, everyone from Pentagon officials to the president himself have been warning about the imminent danger of cyberattacks, not only on the government but also on private companies.
While the Feds have been prosecuting hackers for years, this new unit is focused on preventing attacks. In other words, the Obama administration is, apparently, finally ready to battle the hackers before they can strike. “This is a fight that the government cannot and will not wage alone,” Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell said when she announced the new unit.
Lots of questions still remain unanswered, though. Including: will America’s new hacker-warriors be allowed to smoke weed? [The Hill]
Picture: Shutterstock / DOJ