Asia: The Cyber Security Battleground

Over the course of the last few years, there has been growing acknowledgement of the need for an international cyber security policy. The growing interdependence of the world by way of the Internet and vast frequency and similarity of cyber attacks reported in nearly every corner of the Earth illustrates why. Almost every day U.S. businesses are victims of cyber exploitation and theft by nation-state actors such as China. Theft of intellectual property not only takes away American jobs and hurts innovation and competitiveness, but it costs U.S. businesses anywhere between $200 billion and $400 billion a year. In order to engage American economic prosperity and security, the integrity and openness of our networks must be maintained. Asia is a region beset by some of the world’s most aggressive cyber actors. I think it is fitting that today’s hearing calls the region the cyber security battleground, because as Asia has become the most economically dynamic region in the world, it has also become the hub of cyber conflict.