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US cyberspace head says security needs team effort
San Francisco (AFP) April 22, 2009 The leader of a major US government review of cyber security told computer defense professionals on Wednesday that protecting the country online would require their efforts. A 60-day review of the US communications and information infrastructure identifies 250 "needs, tasks, and recommendations," said Melissa Hathaway, the acting head of cyberspace for the US national and homeland security councils. The report on the country's communications and information infrastructure was completed on April 17 and is now on President Barack Obama's desk for review. "When the report is made public you will see there is a lot of work for us to do together," Hathaway told an audience of computer security experts in San Francisco. "Cyberspace will not be secured overnight on the basis of one plan. As they say, this is a marathon not a sprint." Hathaway said the findings of the report will not be discussed publicly until after they are reviewed by Obama and his administration. She playfully likened the task of evaluating US cyber security needs in 60 days to a seemingly overwhelming assignment meted out at the start of a popular classic television show "Mission Impossible." The theme music from the show played as she began her presentation. "The days have been long and the task has been hard, hence the 'Mission Impossible'," Hathaway quipped. "Sixty days included Saturdays and Sundays. I had to watch it as a pep talk to get through the last 48 hours." Hathaway said the US is at "a crossroads" with cyberspace underpinning promise and perils. "I stand before you today with no less than three BlackBerries and a pager, one of which is going to self-destruct by the end of this speech," Hathaway said, playing off a trademark gimmick in "Mission Impossible." Hathaway said "a growing array of state and non-state actors" are out to compromise or steal information online. "We have witnessed countless intrusions," Hathaway said. "They even have the ability to damage portions of our infrastructure." Hathaway conceded that it could be fair to contend the US government is not organized properly to foster the collaboration and sharing needed for cyber security. No single government agency should oversee cyber defenses and the US needs to work with other nations as well as computer specialists in the private sector, Hathaway said. Her remarks came a day after National Security Agency director Lieutenant General Keith Alexander said that his agency does "not want to run cyber security for the US government." Alexander said the NSA should focus on cyber defenses for the US military while the Department of Homeland Security ensures Internet safety for civilians. "No single agency has a broad enough perspective to match the sweep of the challenges," Hathaway said. "It requires leading from the top. Information is key to detecting, preventing and responding to cyber incidents. This requires developing partnerships." Share This Article With Planet Earth
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US military prepares for 'cyber command:' official
Washington (AFP) April 22, 2009The US administration is planning to create a new military command to counter cyber attacks on the country's sensitive computer networks, a US defense official said on Wednesday. |
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