YPSILANTI – Saying a major cyber attack is the single greatest threat to national security other than weapons of mass destruction, Governor Rick Snyder announced plans on Friday to coordinate a proactive approach to keeping the state safe from online attacks.

Snyder said plans are in the works to establish a Cyber Command Center and create a Cyber Defense Response Team. Cyber security will be added to the purview of the Michigan Intelligence Operation Center, which was built for natural disasters and homeland security issues.

Because of that, Snyder said much of what is needed is already in place, and he wants to have it fully operational as quickly as possible.

The role and responsibility of current employees there will increase. It will also require the hiring of at least a handful of new employees.

Snyder made the announcement at the Michigan Cyber Summit in Ypsilanti, where U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, the White House Cyber Security Coordinator Howard Schmidt and several members of Congress joined him.

“The future of our economic prosperity is at stake,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Brighton).

Rogers, chair of the House Intelligence Committee, said he is concerned about a “a cyber Pearl Harbor.”

Every day, companies are being infiltrated and billions of dollars of research and development data are being stolen, he said, and the main culprit is China.

For businesses that engage in innovation and intellectual property, there are three areas they count themselves a part of: “Those who have been hacked, those who don’t know they’ve been hacked and those that will be hacked.”

Rogers said the Central Intelligence Agency, in one day, was the target of 65,000 attempted breaches.

Snyder said the state’s websites face similar threats. Last year, the state averaged 88,000 blocked intrusion attempts daily. Also, on a daily average, the state blocked nearly 30,000 web browser attacks, blocked 25,000 web site attacks and blocked 14,000 network scans.

The threat of cyber attack to large corporations and critical infrastructure is something that will affect everyone, he said.

And as people rely more on smart phones, tablets and other electronic devices to share information and conduct business, criminals are preying on everyday citizens, and even future governors.

“I am a victim,” Snyder told the crowd packed into a ballroom at the Eagle Crest Conference Center.

Snyder said he and his family were a victim of identity theft about five years ago.

He found out when he started getting calls from collection agencies, regarding cell phones other devices purchased in his name. He said it took two years to clean up his credit afterward.

Also, when his children were younger, he set up a computer just for them to play games and browse the web, and set it up with tight security settings. Eventually they discovered the computer had been hijacked and a program written in a foreign language was running in the background. The only way to fix it was to wipe the hard drive clean.

“This is an issue that affects every single one of us,” Snyder said.

Snyder unveiled a new website to help families and businesses learn how to keep their personal information safe while online, at www.michigan.gov/cybersecurity.

Calling it “good cyber security hygiene,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano reviewed basic tips everyone should use when online, such as having a strong password, not opening emails that come from someone unknown, and reviewing the security settings on their web browser.

She encouraged those attending the conference to spread the word to their customers and people they know.

“Homeland security begins with hometown security,” she said.

This story was provided by Gongwer News Service. To subscribe, click on Gongwer.Com

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