I just read an article that seems designed to keep spreading FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) about the US government and the NSA. The article is titled “Control of Cybersecurity Becomes Divisive Issue “. It starts with an assertion stated as if it were a fact that says “The National Security Agency has been campaigning to lead the government’s rapidly growing cybersecurity programs”.
I bump into all sorts of people in the beltway, and there is a huge amount of buzz regarding cyber. There is also a huge amount of pontification and rumor and hype, and I think Risen and Lichtblau have fallen for some of that.
I guess I should not be so hard on Risen and Lichtblau. They are writing about stuff they have no real experience in (other than as writers) and their sources probably have their own biases or in some cases probably have no access to what is really going on.
Maybe I should just repeat something that all of us citizens should already know. Don’t believe everything you read.
If I were writing the article, I think I would have started it out by saying “The National Security Agency has impressive security expertise and a long history of doing the right thing. Their sensitive mission is conducted with great care and extensive oversight and they have great processes in place to continually improve what they do. They save lives and protect our privacy and do so with great honor.” I would also have, as Risen and Lichtblau did, quoted my old friend Dale Meyerrose who said “They are probably the premier cybersecurity, cyberorganization in the world.”
There are plenty of other quotes by friends in that article. All seem to agree that NSA should not be in total command of all aspects of cybersecurity. OK, there are many many options on how the nation can do this. But I really think it was wrong to start off the article with the assertion that the NSA is campaigning for anything.
The NSA has great capabilities that the nation will almost certainly take advantage of as we enhance our cyber security. That doesn’t mean they are lobbying to be in command of everything. If they were placed in total command then the country would place the right amount of checks and balances to ensure it worked well, and I would be totally fine with that. If they are not in command then the country should place the right amount of coordination mechanisms in place to ensure the mission is served well, and I would be totaly fine with that.
What I would not be fine with is if we keep kicking the can down the road and keep a model where we are slow to react and cannot mount as vigorous of a defense as we should.
A hypothetical question to ask ourselves: Which path would the Russian Business Network, a criminal group described by Verisign as “the baddest of the bad”, want us to take? They would probably want to see us fiddle around for as long as possible without taking clear action. As for me, I want clear, decisive action that moves us forward. And I don’t see anything coming from NYT that will help us embark on that path.
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