Rep: Country not ready for cyber attack

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Warning the country could be on the verge of a 9/11-style cyber attack, Congressman Jim Langevin said it's time for lawmakers pass legislation that would beef up the nation's digital defenses.

"I’m concerned that we are in a pre-9/11 moment right now," Langevin said on a taping of WPRI's Newsmakers . "I've been trying to raise the alarm bell that we need to do more in the area of cyber security."

Any reporter who is on the congressman's email list will tell you the issue has been one of his policy priorities. But up until recently, he failed to gain a lot of attention.

It appears his incessant drum-beating on the issue may be starting to pay off.

The White House and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are both inching cyber issues higher on the priority list. Last month, Langevin – one of the founders of the Congressional Cyber Caucus – signed on to a bill that would require DHS to assess the country's cyber security risks and come up with a game plan.

"There are some good things that are happening and we're hopefully moving in the right direction," Langevin said. "But not nearly fast enough."

Langevin warned a worst-case scenario could mean another country exploiting the nation's computer network and shutting down a power grid for months.

"Those are the nightmare scenarios that keep me up," Langevin said. "Someone could launch a cyber attack and you may not know where it comes from; it may look like its coming from China, but it could also look like its coming from Idaho."

Despite a bitterly divided Congress, Langevin said he's optimistic cyber security issues could have bipartisan support.

"We have to get more serious and more focused in getting it right," he said. "We're not there yet."

Tim White ( twhite@wpri.com ) is the Target 12 investigative reporter for WPRI 12 and Fox Providence. Follow him on Twitter: @white_tim