Obama Cyber Review Still Short On Details
As the Obama administration crafts a game plan for keeping the nation's computer networks and critical infrastructure secure, the White House is going to anchor the interagency coordination and set a vision for the way forward, administration officials told reporters Friday evening on a conference call about the 60-day cybersecurity review the president ordered earlier this year. The White House does not plan to strong-arm the Homeland Security Department, National Security Agency and other entities that currently control operational aspects of government and private sector IT security, they said. Cybersecurity leadership has been a hot topic among lawmakers, think tanks and tech industry officials recently with at least one prominent report calling for the White House to take charge of that mission.
With 46 days under their belt, officials working on Obama's review have set a goal for releasing an overarching study to guide the formation of a trusted, resilient communications infrastructure through a national public-private partnership. Over the course of that examination, officials have identified and inventoried more than 250 cybersecurity requirements across federal agencies and asked those in charge of each initiative to connect the dots between their overall mission and the various requirements and programs they have in place. At the same time, the team reached out to stakeholders through a series of 40 meetings that yielded more than 100 white papers. Those who spoke to reporters refused to give details about their forthcoming recommendations since the review is ongoing.
Administration officials met with sector-specific coordination councils, the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee, industry associations and privacy and civil liberties groups. They consulted the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Library Association, Center for Democracy and Technology, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and range of others. The National Science Foundation with the cooperation of more than 50 universities also played a role by suggesting quick wins and longer term R&D projects to help safeguard the nation's networks. Additional briefings involved federal regulatory agencies; state and local homeland security officials and CIOs; members of Congress and their staffs; and foreign partners.
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