NEWS...: June 2010 Archives

DHS Inspector General says the federal government still cannot adequately protect its networks. One big reason why is that the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) established to spot vulnerabilities in the government's networks, and coordinate responses when those flaws are exploited has neither the authority nor the manpower to respond effectively to the threat of cyber attacks. READ MORE

Statement of Richard Skinner, Inspector General DHS, Before the Committee on Homeland Security, U.S. House of Representatives, June 16, 2001 (.pdf)

National Cyber Security Center director Phil Reitinger testified during a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that Congress should work with the administration to determine if new presidential emergency powers are needed to govern how key industries such as power plants, the electrical grid and vital financial systems respond during a cyber crisis.  READ MORE

Related:  Stance of top cybersecurity official surprises Senators, READ MORE

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Hearing / June 15, 2010 / Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset: Comprehensive Legislation for the 21st Century  ... Hearing Archive (includes web-cast and testimonies)

Information sharing across federal, state and local agencies poses some of the most significant challenges to collaboration.  Concerns about the ability of state and local agencies to protect sensitive information they receive has created reluctance among federal agencies and private sector companies to share information.  READ MORE

GAO Report (.pdf)...

USCYBERCOM chief discusses how the U.S. will fight espionage and crime ...OPINION: Is this the USCYBERCOM mission ...  ?

General Keith Alexander, head of the new U.S. Cyber Command, recently called for for global rules of engagement for cyber-war, and for increased engagement with nations that are major sources of cyber crime and espionage, including Russia and China. READ MORE

Joe Weiss, a member of the SF Bay InfraGard chapter, has recently published a book addressing the security of industrial control systems. 

"This book is meant to help both the novice and expert in Information Technology (IT) security and industrial control systems (ICS) gain a better understanding of protecting ICSs from electronic threats," Weiss commented. "I wrote this book to fill a hole that exists in the professional world as well as academia - security is taught in the Computer Science departments while control systems are taught in the various engineering departments. This needs to change and this book will help,"
More Info on Amazon.com...

Congress' decision to include key cybersecurity  provisions in the House and Senate Defense authorization bills increases their odds for passage, said one security expert, although amalgamating numerous pieces of cyber legislation could make establishing a final consensus a challenge.  READ MORE

Senate version gives the Feds "Emergency Powers" to secure civilian systems during emergency circumstances. if there's an "imminent cyber threat." ... provides the Department of Homeland Security broad authority to ensure that "critical infrastructure" stays up and running in the face of a looming hack attack. READ MORE