Homeland Security is getting serious about making sure all federal agencies get on board with continuous network monitoring. Keeping a vigilant eye out is the best way to fend off cyber attacks, DHS officials say. Besides, it's now the law of the land.

John Streufert is the leading advocate for continuous monitoring at DHS. He pioneered the technique when he worked for the State Department. He's been briefing industry and the media about a DHS program called continuing diagnostics and mitigation.

Under CDM, DHS manages buying and operating network sensors used by agencies, and it helps them with troubleshooting cyber issues that may arise.

Last year, federal agencies responded to more than 100,000 cyber attacks.

This story is part of Federal News Radio's daily Cybersecurity Update. For more cybersecurity news, click here.