National Electronic Security Needs More Than Lip Service

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AS OF 8/20/2008 9:15AM EST

National Electronic Security Needs More Than Lip Service
By Systems Management News Team

May 15, 2008 — The security business is booming.

One needed to look no further than last month’s RSA Conference in San Francisco for proof. The event was a lavish affair, with environmentalist and former Vice President Al Gore speaking—albeit behind closed doors—and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff proclaiming a security initiative akin to the historic “Manhattan Project.” There were reportedly thousands of attendees on hand to learn how to improve their security posture, and more than 350 exhibitors showing tools and striking big deals with major banks, airlines and other large corporations.

In his keynote address, Chertoff called securing cyberspace a top priority of outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush. If personal data such as social security numbers and credit card information can be exploited, businesses and individuals suffer. If national security information can be hacked and traded, or if information regarding biological weapons can be stolen, the country, and the world, are in peril. He said the U.S. takes electronic threats as seriously as threats in the physical world.

Yet Chertoff kicked off this new initiative with the announcement that the U.S. government will ante up only US$130 million to fund it. Chertoff defended the allotment, saying the key to the plan is to reduce the number of Internet access points into the government, which will make identifying threats easier.

Securing cyberspace is a tall order, indeed. Aside from entry points into sensitive government documents, there are water supplies, electrical grids, transportation systems and other infrastructure data that could be compromised for the purposes of a terror attack. This will take money, time and brainpower; only brainpower isn’t in short supply right now.

The government’s acknowledgement of the importance of protecting the country’s electronic information has been limited at best. In fact, Chertoff’s own department left the position of assistant secretary for cybersecurity and telecommunications vacant for more than a year, and now Greg Garcia, who filled that role in 2006, does not even have direct access to Chertoff; he reports to a DHS undersecretary. Further, critics charge the federal government has done little to help private businesses and public utilities secure their assets, issuing vague guidelines but providing little in the way of technical or financial support.

Money is Not Enough
A report from the U.S. Government Accounting Office revealed that America in 2007 spent $161.8 billion worldwide on its “war on terror.” Much of that money has been spent on police and information-gathering equipment, and setting up a communications network in which Britain’s Interpol, for example, can quickly share information with the DHS.

With as much as industry is spending on security, it’ll take more than $130 million for the U.S. to prove it’s doing more than paying lip service to a massive, vexing problem. It’ll take the commitment of the government, academia and business—working together—to come up with the solutions that will protect its electronic infrastructure. The $130 million is a good start, but a small one. It’s time for the feds to step up and take a lead role to thwart these very real threats to our safety and wellbeing.

Related Search Term(s): Security

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