ISAlliance Briefs Agencies on Cyber Security

October 15, 2009 by ADMIN

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ISA to BRIEF MULTIPLE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES ON CYBERSECURITY

Internet Security Alliance President Larry Clinton will serve as one of three private sector briefers at a unique senior level pan-government briefing on cyber security Friday, October 16 from 10:00am to noon.

The briefing is being organized by Representative Yvette D. Clarke, Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology and will be held in the Longworth House Office Building Room 1539.

Chairwoman Clarke will be joined by Rep. Bart Gordon, Chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology, Rep. Daniel Lipinski, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Research and Science Education, Rep. Loretta Sanchez, of the House Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology.

Also, participating will be several senior level Administration officials including Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity Greg Schaffer from the Department of Homeland Security, John Streufert Deputy Chief Information Officer for the US State Department and Robert Lentz former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Defense for Cyber, Identity and Information Assurance for the Department of Defense.

ISA President Clinton, who returned this week from a state department sponsored trip to Estonia and the NATO Cybersecurity Excellence Center, will be joined by Paul Chandler of Washington Research Associates and Shannon Kellogg of EMC/RSA as private sector briefers.

The briefing will cover a wide range of issues including how to create a productive industry government partnership for cybersecurity, how to improve information sharing, secure the IT supply chain and create awareness of and adherence to cyber security best practices.

ISA invites comments and recommendations on the specific questions that will be covered in the briefing. (See attached list or access the ISA website.)

Although this meeting is closed to the press, ISA members are invited to attend.

Questions posed by Representative Yvette D. Clarke, Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology at the October 15 Briefing

- What should be the top three priorities for the new White House Cyber Coordinator when he or she is announced?

- As we are all aware, technology is constantly changing. The threats we face are constantly changing. This poses a real challenge for any sort of standards regime.

- For example, FISMA, which governs the security of federal civilian networks, has been criticized for not effectively protecting these networks.

- Many federal agencies that are fully complaint with the standards required by FISMA are still victims.

Does this suggest IT standards are impossible to craft?
How do we go about creating the most effective standards?
What is the role of government in defending against cyber attacks to our nation’s critical infrastructure?
How involved should the federal government be in securing the infrastructure of the state governments?

- Eighty-five percent of our critical infrastructure is owned by private entities.

How do we encourage these private businesses to implement stronger security controls?
Is it not in these companies’ best interests to secure their systems?
What are some suggestions for ways Congress can change this current behavior?

- Smart R&D investments are essential to keeping pace with these constantly-evolving challenges.

What should our R&D priorities be in the short-term?
In the long-term, how do we encourage innovation to stay here in America?

- What jobs are currently available for cybersecurity experts?

- As we look to develop our cyber workforce, how do we determine who is qualified?

- What are the positives and negatives of certifying cybersecurity professionals?

- President Obama’s Cyberspace Policy Review stated that the Administration should partner with Congress to ensure adequate legal authorities, policies, and resources are available to support the cybersecurity mission. The Review noted how the law currently governing this field is a patchwork of constitutional, domestic, foreign, and international laws.

What are the most important policy objectives that any new legislation should address?
What are some of the challenges to legislating in this complex field?

- One of the near-term action plans in President Obama’s Cyberspace Review was to initiate a national public awareness and education campaign to promote cybersecurity. Many groups have recognized National Cyber Security Awareness month, but October will end soon.

- How do we best promote public awareness starting Nov. 1st and beyond?

Return your answers to anthonymfreed@gmail.com to be forwarded on to ISAlliance leadership and lawmakers.

Download a complete copy of The Cyber Secuirty Social Contract: Policy Recommendations for the Obama Administration and 111th Congress.

: Learn More About the ISAlliance

The Internet Security Alliance (ISAlliance) was created to provide a forum for information sharing and thought leadership on information security issues. The ISAlliance represents corporate security interests before legislators and regulators, in so doing the alliance aims to identify and standardize best practices in Internet security and network survivability, while creating a collaborative environment to develop and implement information security solutions.

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