U.S. Senator Collins Statement On Massive Cyber Attack Affecting 4 Million Government Workers

WASHINGTON, DC – Following reports that a massive cyber-attack has breached the personal information of approximately 4 million current and former government workers stored at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, released the following statement:

“While we still do not know for certain who is behind this attack, it has the hallmarks of a sophisticated attack, and we know there are countries who currently possess the capabilities to conduct such an attack, including Russia, China, and Iran.

“This is a clear call to action for Congress to pass a cyber-security law. It is time for us to take action to better protect the critical infrastructure this nation depends upon. While no law can prevent every cyber-attack, a new law would make a real difference in strengthening our defenses and improving upon the current lack of critical communication and cooperation between the private sector and the government about these dangerous threats.

“I am particularly concerned about an attack on our critical infrastructure such as our water systems, our electric grid, our air traffic control systems, and our power plants. It is particularly important that the government work with the private sector to boost the defenses of critical infrastructure.

“As the experts continue to tell us, it is not a matter of if a devastating attack occurs, but when.