Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • 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
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cybersecurity
    • Cybersecurity

    Critics Slam Task Force Cyber Plans

    By
    Dennis Fisher
    -
    March 21, 2004
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      The release of the first set of recommendations from two task forces formed last year at the National Cyber Security Summit has spurred a fresh round of criticism from security experts who say the governments reliance on vendors is stifling progress.

      The recommendations were produced by the Awareness for Home Users and Small Businesses and the Cyber Security Early Warning task forces, two of five such groups established at the summit in December and known collectively as the National Cyber Security Partnership, or NCSP. Stacked with security and software industry executives and government representatives, the task forces are meant to tackle several big issues, including promoting secure software, providing corporate governance and developing guidelines for users to improve security.

      Specifically, for small businesses, the Awareness task force has developed a guidebook listing simple security tips and advice. Two insurance companies have also agreed to provide insurance credits to small businesses that implement the steps in the guidebook. For enterprises, the group plans to hold regional summits for CEOs to meet with officials from the Department of Homeland Security. It will also start a direct-mail campaign this summer to give high-level executives information on network security.

      The NCSP also plans to start this fall a three-year national ad campaign centered on the top 10 security tips developed as part of the Stay Safe Online effort sponsored by the National Cyber Security Alliance, a group of technology vendors and government agencies. The guidelines advise the use of anti-virus software and the installation of security patches.

      Critics say that this kind of information is common sense and that the task forces should have gone beyond such issues. “The average user will never become the kind of expert needed to protect themselves against the attacks being launched today. The dire situation is caused almost entirely by software vendors who have completely failed to meet their responsibilities to the nation and to their customers,” said Alan Paller, director of research at The SANS Institute, based in Bethesda, Md. “In essence, the vendors are promoting a blame-the-user strategy because they cannot or will not build comprehensive security solutions.”

      Next page: Task force members defend efforts.

      Page Two

      Task force members defended their efforts as necessary and valuable for most people. “Theres always the perception that [security is] taking care of itself,” said Howard Schmidt, chief security officer at eBay Inc., based in San Jose, Calif., and co-chair of the Awareness task force. “But these are common-sense things that these people need to understand when theyre running their businesses. Were not a one-stop shop for everything when it comes to cyber-security.”

      The Early Warning task force has proposed establishing an alert network to promote information sharing between the private sector and the government during attacks. The network would be complementary to similar existing efforts, such as the Information Sharing and Analysis Centers and US-CERT. The group hopes to begin testing the system in October in preparation for a December launch.

      The Early Warning task force is calling for the creation of a government-funded National Crisis Coordination Center to serve as a nerve center for industry and government officials during big attacks and other events. As planned, the center would be staffed by government and private-sector security specialists.

      Still, there are those who deride the NCSP as yet another example of the government “partnering” with private-industry executives and failing to understand the issues that security specialists deal with on a daily basis.

      “Everybody is quite irritated by the agendas being advanced by the vendors,” said one executive involved in the process, who asked to remain anonymous. “IT security has always been driven by the vendors, and this is just more of the same. Ive yet to see it ever being someone besides the vendors controlling the process. When is the government ever going to engage the actual practitioners? You have major executives who look at the government and think its ridiculous.”

      The NCSP is allied with various industry trade groups, including the Information Technology Association of America, the Business Software Alliance and TechNet. In fact, officials from those three groups serve as secretariats for four of the five NCSP task forces, and many of the task force co-chairs companies belong to one or more of these associations.

      /zimages/1/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms Security Center at http://security.eweek.com for security news, views and analysis.
      Be sure to add our eWEEK.com security news feed to your RSS newsreader or My Yahoo page: http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/my/addtomyyahoo2.gif

      Dennis Fisher

      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
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 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.

      ×