The Department of Homeland Security has released a blueprint for the enhanced protection of federal networks against cyber attacks. A factsheet for this effort is available here.
Here is a summary of that summary:
It declares a policy: "It is the policy of the
United States to prevent or minimize disruptions to our critical
information infrastructure in order to protect the public, the economy,
government services, and the national security of the United States."
It formally announces a Presidential Directive: "On January 8, 2008, President Bush approved National Security
Presidential Directive 54/Homeland Security Presidential Directive 23,
which formalized a series of continuous efforts designed to further
safeguard Federal Government systems and reduce potential
vulnerabilities, protect against intrusion attempts, and better
anticipate future threats."
It announces a lead for the nation in this area: "While efforts to protect our Federal network systems from cyber
attacks remain a collaborative, government-wide effort, the Department
of Homeland Security (DHS) has the lead responsibility for assuring the
security, resiliency and reliability of the Nation’s Information
Technology (IT) and communications infrastructure.
It provides a list of some of the actions which are underway right now:
- Hiring additional personnel to support the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT),
DHS’ 24x7 watch and warning center for the Federal Government’s
Internet infrastructure. US-CERT, a public/private partnership,
operates around-the-clock to help government and industry analyze and
respond to cyber threats and vulnerabilities.
- Expanding the EINSTEIN Program to all Federal
departments and agencies. This will provide government officials with
an early warning system to gain better situational awareness, earlier
identification of malicious activity, and a more comprehensive network
defense. The EINSTEIN Program helps identify unusual network traffic
patterns and trends which signal unauthorized network traffic so
security personnel are able to quickly identify and respond to
potential threats.
- Consolidating the number of external connections including Internet
points of presence for the Federal Government Internet infrastructure,
as part of the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) “Trusted Internet Connections Initiative,”
will more efficiently manage and implement security measures to help
bring more comprehensive protection across the federal “.gov” domains.
- Creating a National Cybersecurity Center to
further our progress in addressing cyber threats and increasing
cybersecurity efforts. This Center will bring together federal
cybersecurity organizations, by virtually connecting and in some cases,
physically collocating personnel and resources to gain a clearer
understanding of the overall cyber security picture of Federal
networks. Secretary Chertoff appointed Rod Beckstrom on March 20, 2008
to serve as Director of the National Cyber Security Center.
- Expanding the National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force
(NCIJTF), to include representation from the U.S. Secret Service and
several other federal agencies. This existing cyber investigation
coordination organization overseen by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation will serve as a multi-agency national focal point for
coordinating, integrating, and sharing pertinent information related to
cyber threat investigations.
- Working towards a stronger supply chain defense to
reduce the potential for adversaries to manipulate IT and
communications products before they are imported into the U.S. To
address this challenge, the Federal Government is exploring protections
into our federal acquisition process and developing a multi-faceted
strategy to reduce risk at the most appropriate stage of the IT and
communications product lifecycle.
- Facilitate coordination and information sharing between the Federal
Government and private sector to reduce cyber risk, disseminate threat
information, share best practices and apply appropriate protective
actions as outlined within the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP)
framework. For example, DHS created a Control Systems Vulnerability
Assessment Tool to help all critical infrastructure sectors assess
certain policies, plans and procedures currently in place to reduce
cyber vulnerabilities and leverage recognized standards.
- Led the nation’s largest cyber security exercise, known as Cyber Storm II,
in March 2008, bringing together participants from federal, state and
local governments, the private sector, and the international community
in order to examine and strengthen the nation’s cyber security
preparedness and response capabilities in response to a simulated cyber
attack across several critical sectors of our economy. Cyber Storm II
and other exercises help ensure that public and private sectors are
prepared for an effective response to attacks against our critical
systems and networks.
- Partnering with academia and industry to expand cyber education
for all U.S. Government employees, particularly those who specialize in
IT, and enhance worksite development and recruitment strategies to
ensure a knowledgeable workforce capable of dealing with the evolving
nature of cyber threats.
- Increasing funding for IT security through the
President’s FY 2009 Budget Request of $7.2 billion for these efforts,
an increase of $600 million over the $6.6 billion dedicated to this
area in FY 2008 across the Federal Government.
Speaking as someone who has been involved in the national security community and the computer security community for quite a while I have to say this is very exciting news. The forward thinking leaders in government pulling this together and leading the extended enterprise to be more secure should all be commended for their efforts.
A point for enterprise Chief Technology Officers: Well, if you are in government you already know the point and have been deeply involved. If you are not in government but working in other large organizations I think the point is that sometimes the things that seem impossible are really quite possible. A small group of people with drive and vision can change the world.
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