With the record-setting phase of the federal shutdown now underway, the war over how best to protect the US-Mexico border is seriously impacting our country’s cybersecurity, and, with that, imperiling our nation. This is not about partisan politics. This is inexcusable.
According to several recent reports, the fallout in the area of our nation’s cybersecurity has already begun, and it could become a matter of serious concern quickly. (Think China Syndrome, only with cyber in the place of cold-war, secret nuclear catastrophe.) With every passing day, we rely on something more akin to luck than strategy or systems to keep our cyber defenses secure.
You may be thinking that cybersecurity is considered critical, and as such is not suffering in the same way as wholly shuttered agencies, and you are right. But relativism in cyber-related tasks is dangerous. The reduction in work hours across the board could well create vulnerabilities. Software updates, security patches, memos regarding phishing campaigns — all of that will take a hit with diminished recourses, and “that” is a major part of keeping the barbarians beyond the gates.