ISSX Internet Security Systems

CSIA Renews Urgent Call to Congress to Enact Comprehensive Legislation to Secure Americans' Privacy ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cyber Security Industry Alliance (CSIA) today called on the new Congress to make it a top priority to enact a comprehensive law to secure sensitive personal information regardless of where it is held, be it within government or the private sector. To date, 100 million Americans -- more than one-third of the population of the United States -- have had their personal information compromised, according to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. The continued mishandling of personal information is a problem affecting every corner of the country and a wide range of organizations, including private sector corporations, government agencies, financial firms, educational institutions, healthcare and insurance companies. The types of personal information that have been lost range from medical records to social security numbers to bank account details. Furthermore, the burden is on the victims to determine what degree of risk they face and how best to protect themselves from future incidents, creating a frustrating and daunting situation for so many Americans. "The time is now to establish a single standard for securing citizens' personal information regardless of whether it is housed within federal, state or local government, private sector or educational institutions," said Paul Kurtz, executive director of CSIA. "Americans are being victimized by data breaches and current laws are inadequate to protect and notify them. The 110th Congress needs to make it a priority to pass a comprehensive federal law that addresses both of these concerns, alleviating the complex web of regulations that has been created by numerous state-level data security laws." To accomplish the dual goals of prevention and notification, a national law should establish reasonable security measures, create a consistent and recognizable notification standard, encourage best practices such as encryption, and include effective enforcement capabilities. Added Kurtz, "Congress should be very concerned about this milestone not only because of the sheer number of individuals affected, but also because the decline in consumer confidence in the security of personal information is a serious drag on our economy. By passing a federal data security bill, Congress has the power to alleviate much of the fear, uncertainty and doubt that Americans are facing right now." About the Cyber Security Industry Alliance The Cyber Security Industry Alliance is the only advocacy group dedicated exclusively to ensuring the privacy, reliability and integrity of information systems through public policy, technology, education and awareness. Led by CEOs from the world's top security providers, CSIA believes a comprehensive approach to information system security is vital to the stability of the global economy. Visit our web site at http://www.csialliance.org/. Members of the CSIA include Application Security, Inc.; CA, Inc. (NYSE:CA); Citadel Security Software Inc. (OTC:CDSS); Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS); Crossroads Systems, Inc. (OTCBB Pink Sheets: CRDS.PK); Entrust, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENTU); F-Secure Corporation (HEX:FSC1V); Fortinet, Inc.; Internet Security Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:ISSX); iPass Inc. (NASDAQ:IPAS); McAfee, Inc. (NYSE:MFE); Mirage Networks; MXI Security; PGP Corporation; Qualys, Inc.; RSA, The Security Division of EMC (NYSE:EMC); Secure Computing Corporation (NASDAQ:SCUR); Surety, Inc.; SurfControl Plc (LSE:SRF); Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ:SYMC); TechGuard Security, LLC; and Vontu, Inc. DATASOURCE: Cyber Security Industry Alliance CONTACT: Michelle Schafer of Merritt Group, +1-703-390-1525, , for CSIA Web site: http://www.csialliance.org/

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