Promoting and Incentivizing Cybersecurity Best Practices

The Support Antiterrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act (SAFETY) ensures that the threat of costly litigation does not deter potential manufacturers or sellers of anti-terrorism technologies at both large and small companies from developing and putting into the marketplace products and services that could reduce the risk or mitigate the consequences of a large-scale terrorist event. The SAFETY Act was part of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and is a voluntary program that currently provides incentives for the development and deployment of anti-terrorism technologies. Companies qualify for the protections afforded by the SAFETY Act by demonstrating through an on-going basis that they have a comprehensive and agile risk management plan. Right now, our cyber defenses are weak. Because addressing cybersecurity vulnerabilities is costly, we need to find ways to promote and incentivize investment in cybersecurity. We need to incentivize companies to have a robust cyber-risk management plan in place. The SAFETY Act Office at the Department of Homeland Security could be leveraged to promote and incentivize cybersecurity best practices within its existing framework.