Close
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
eWEEK.com
Search
eWEEK.com
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity
    • Development
    • IT Management

    Sizing Up Obama’s Plans for Cyber-security

    By
    BRIAN PRINCE
    -
    May 29, 2009
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Now that the 60-day review of America’s cyber-security strategy is public, the hard part can begin.

      With the challenge of implementing policies to shore up the nation’s cyber-infrastructure lying ahead, some in the security community shared their thoughts on the first steps the Obama administration should take on the path to a more secure Internet.

      Click here to read about five hacks of government systems that will challenge Obama’s cyber-security plans.

      Although there have been attempts in the past to enact security standards, many were toothless and unenforceable, opined Lumension CEO Pat Clawson. That has to change.

      “There has to be some level of authority given to the cyber-security czar to consolidate civilian and government entities as well as the DOD’s [Department of Defense’s] (at some level) existing security state and policies to affect change,” Clawson blogged. “Currently, we do not have a clear understanding [of] where we, as a country, sit today relative to our risk posture, let alone where we’d like to be or what it’ll take to get there. A real-time gap analysis will provide a crystal-clear view into areas of weakness that must be addressed right away versus weaknesses that can be addressed in due time, taking a risk-based approach, so to speak.”

      What kind of cyber-security czar do we want? Click here to read more.

      With just its purchasing power alone, the government has the power to effect change, Gartner analyst John Pescatore said. For example, the federal government could require that all its software purchases include clauses mandating vendors show evidence that their software has been run though a commercial application-vulnerability testing service.

      “The bottom line is the government using its purchasing power to drive lower vulnerabilities in software and systems, not to focus on trying to collect attack data,” Pescatore said.

      The government, he added, should focus more on prevention than detection, as combining the two functions often results in lower security.

      “The goals are different-one wants to let the attacks happen to keep track of the opponent, the other just wants the opponent to attack someone else,” Pescatore said. “It is sort of like depending on the guy sitting in a fire tower to prevent forest fires-his approach is to look for smoke, and by then it is too late for prevention.”

      Networks, Metrics and Laws

      The process has to begin, however, with the government focusing on the security of its networks-as well as private networks controlled by contractors providing services to government-separately from those in the private sector, said Paul Ferguson, an advanced threats researcher at Trend Micro.

      Government agency networks as well as contractors providing network services can be made to conform to defined levels of security metrics and can be subjected to regularly scheduled audits, he explained.

      “On the privately owned infrastructure front (think ISPs), a more ‘open’ and ongoing ‘public-private’ campaign, cross-pollination of technical skills, shared intelligence, etc., should be sought where the government actively engages in a dialogue with the appropriate stakeholders in an effort to actively encourage more elevated network security postures,” Ferguson said.

      Calls for cyber-security partnerships between government and business have been an ongoing refrain of late, and the message was repeated in the White House review.

      “With the private sector owning upwards of 85 percent of our critical infrastructure, strengthening the government-industry partnership is essential to our nation’s cyber-security,” said Bob Dix, vice president of government affairs at Juniper Networks.

      In addition to cooperation, the review also calls for the government to examine laws addressing cyber-security, with the White House partnering with Congress to ensure that there are adequate laws. That should include reforming FISMA (the Federal Information Security Management Act) as well as enacting federal data breach legislation, said Tiffany Jones, director of Symantec government relations for North America.

      “As a corporation, we already have to comply with 47 state data breach and data security laws,” Jones said. “However, there is no federal legislation that requires the same consistency for government agencies. We are asking Congress to pass a national data breach/security bill so that consumers and their data are protected, no matter where their data resides.”

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      CHRIS PREIMESBERGER - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      CHRIS PREIMESBERGER - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      EWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      ZEUS KERRAVALA - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      WAYNE RASH - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more
      eWeek


      Contact Us | About | Sitemap

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      Terms of Service | Privacy Notice | Advertise | California - Do Not Sell My Info

      © 2020 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×