Posts tagged: cyber czar

Lessons Not Learned – Public-Private non-communication in CyberSecurity

One of the deficiencies that came to light in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks was the communication failure between competing intelligence agencies.  A report released this past Monday from the Government Accountability Office shows that the same failure to communicate is happening in the cybersecurity arena.  The breakdown in this arena is between [...]

Friday August 20th, 2010 in , , , | No Comments »

New CyberSecurity Coordinator points to private sector solutions

Once again I find myself liking White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard Schmidt’s approach even if I think his position is weakened based on placement, authority, etc.  In a Bill Brenner article today on CSOonline, Schmidt points to the defense against the wide range of threats, including coordinated attacks, to be best lead from the private [...]

Wednesday April 7th, 2010 in , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Leave “Cyberwar” in Hollywood

The more I read about Howard Schmidt, the new cybersecurity czar for the Obama administration, the more I tend to like what I’m hearing.  I still think the position is limited because he has no budegtary authority but he appears to be quite capable of delivering the message of information security without resorting to FUD.  [...]

Friday March 5th, 2010 in , , , | No Comments »

Cyber Shockwave – A Bust

CNN recently broadcast a cyber-attack simulation meant to demonstrate the potential cascading effects of a widespread attack on our nation’s infrastructure.  The exercise included former federal officials who played the role of key positions in the executive branch to show how the government would respond to the escalating incident.  They even had a flashy headline: [...]

Tuesday February 23rd, 2010 in , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Cybersecurity Coordinator – new man, same ol’ position

I’ve been mulling on the appointment of Howard Schmidt as U.S. Cybersecurity Coordinator for several days.  This is the appointment that has been 10-months in the coming since President Obama vowed to create the post.   This is the role that was previously filled (at least functionally) by Melissa Hathaway who left over frustration with the [...]

Tuesday December 29th, 2009 in , , , | No Comments »

National Cybersecurity Initiative… Good, but….

Finally!  The U.S. makes a conscious decision to consider the digital roadways that carry the information of citizens, business, and government as a “strategic national asset”.  Acknowledging the importance is certainly a step, albeit a late one, in the right direction.  Let there be no mistake, it’s a difficult task to defend a nation in [...]

Thursday June 4th, 2009 in , , , | No Comments »