Two members of the bipartisan Cyberspace Solarium Commission, which released its final report to Congress just as COVID-19 was beginning to disrupt public life in the United States, say that the pandemic may throw a monkey wrench into plans to boost cybersecurity in the United States. Suzanne Spaulding, a former undersecretary at the Department of Homeland Security, and Chris Inglis, a former deputy director of the National Security Agency, spoke a virtual town hall on April 14.
The commission’s report called for the nation to adopt a layered cybersecurity posture, and made several dozen recommendations for Congress and the Executive Branch. However, the health crisis has “preoccupied, appropriately so, the time and attention Congress has to try and address the implications of COVID-19 but also, obviously, makes it very difficult for Congress to be in Washington and be conducting business as usual, let alone voting,” Spaulding said.