Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan is warning defense-industry CEOs to better protect their computer networks or risk losing business. Speaking about cybersecurity, he said, “we want the bar to be so high that it becomes a condition of doing business.”
The former Boeing executive likened network security to personal hygiene, something that individuals do everyday without thinking about it.
Some of the largest defense firms have experienced embarrassing hacks in recent years, exposing sensitive data about top-of-the-line American weapons. In the aerospace industry, Shanahan said, employees are not afraid to admit when they make a mistake, because it’s built in the culture.
