The Cyber Initiative

Recently I had the privilege of talking about computer security at a hearing before two subcommittees of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

My principal focus was the Bush administration’s new "Cyber Initiative."

On Jan. 8, President Bush issued a new National Security/Homeland Security Directive. This order establishes a comprehensive, national cybersecurity initiative. Little is known publicly about the details of this national security order, because it is still classified. But it shows that information security is receiving serious attention at the highest levels of the executive branch. I believe this is good news.

The order creates an expanded role for the National Security Agency in protecting civilian agency systems. This raises some significant policy questions, such as, "How best can the government maintain and build trust with the private sector to promote computer security?"

For more on this topic, you can read my earlier post.