Some of the nation’s top cybersecurity experts today told a congressional subcommittee that the United States isn’t ready for a major online attack, and called on the White House and the rest of the federal government to get their acts together.

In a hearing held by the House Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology, four top IT security officials expressed concern about the government’s slow movement in developing a defense for its own agencies and for the nation’s critical infrastructure. All four said the White House should lead the effort with the creation of a civilian agency dedicated to cyberdefense.

“We need to face the fact that we are already dealing with cyberwar, both from criminal elements and from hostile governments,” said Dave Powner, director of IT management issues at the Government Accountability Office, “We’re constantly under attack.”

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