Cyberspace Thought Leaders Discuss Challenges Facing Nation's First 'Cyber Czar'
June 25 2009 - 8:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
National Press Club Event Sponsored By Harris Corporation Offers
Legislative, Executive And Media Viewpoints WASHINGTON, June 25
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lack of real power, entrenched government
bureaucracy and the ever-shifting paradigm of cyberspace are just a
few of the challenges that may face the country's first
Cybersecurity Coordinator, according to a panel of three nationally
recognized cyber experts who spoke with reporters yesterday at the
National Press Club in Washington, D.C. A webcast of the entire
program can be viewed at
http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=59747. Tom Davis,
former U.S. Congressman from Virginia and now director of Federal
Government Affairs for Deloitte LLP; James Bamford, award-winning
journalist and best-selling cyberspace book author; and Dale
Meyerrose, the first Senate-confirmed chief information officer for
National Intelligence and a retired Major General (USAF), presented
a variety of perspectives on what the nation's yet-unnamed 'cyber
czar' will likely confront during his or her first 100 days. "I
think the administration has taken the appropriate first step,"
said Meyerrose, who is now vice president and general manager for
the Cyberspace Solutions business at Harris Corporation. "They have
acknowledged that the status quo is unacceptable and are setting
priorities. The cyber security coordinator will have to address the
issues of authority, accommodation within the existing process, and
an agenda and then think big, start small, and scale up rapidly.
That is the secret to success in a non-crisis environment."
Meyerrose cautioned against relying on old paradigms in defining
and addressing the challenges posed by today's interconnected
world. "In the cyber world, if it's connected, it's vulnerable; if
it functions, it presents an attack thread. Anything that touches
cyberspace is at risk." Davis discussed the complexity of making
progress within the existing government bureaucracy. "There are a
lot of competing interests. Key questions will be how much
authority the coordinator has and how they will deal with the
stovepipes and with getting legislative initiatives through
Congress, where everyone will want to have a say. It becomes very
complex and it will be a tough job. I applaud them [the
administration] for taking the first step." Bamford struck a
cautious note in his remarks, offering his opinion that the
cyberspace coordinator position, as currently defined, lacks real
power and budget, and might be overshadowed by the director of the
National Security Agency (NSA), who heads the Pentagon's new Cyber
Command to protect military networks. "That would present quite a
dilemma in terms of public civil liberties," he said. "I'd be much
happier to see a very powerful person in charge of the cyber
activity with a deputy from the civil liberties side of the
spectrum. I also worry about the hype factor regarding
vulnerabilities and would like to see the danger rhetoric toned
down a bit." Meyerrose also emphasized the importance of educating
the American public about cyberspace. "Cyberspace underpins
virtually every aspect of our lives these days, from large networks
and grids for our government and commercial institutions to our ATM
machines and the light switches on the wall. If you are on line,
you are both a target and a threat. Priorities for cyber may become
on par with our defense and intelligence missions." A world leader
in cyber security, Harris has been using state-of-the-art
technology assessment techniques and architecture engineering for
decades to define and operate secure networks supporting nationally
critical programs. Harris currently supports three of the nation's
largest secure networks, including the FAA Telecommunications
Infrastructure, the National Reconnaissance Office network, and the
Navy Marine Corps Intranet. The company's technology
countermeasures and monitoring capabilities proactively safeguard
vital information assets supporting the missions of U.S. military,
intelligence, transportation, and commerce customers. Harris
recently expanded its cyber security capabilities with the
acquisition of Crucial Security, Inc., a premier provider of
cyberspace solutions for law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
About Harris Corporation Harris is an international communications
and information technology company serving government and
commercial markets in more than 150 countries. Headquartered in
Melbourne, Florida, the company has approximately $5 billion of
annual revenue and 15,000 employees -- including nearly 7,000
engineers and scientists. Harris is dedicated to developing
best-in-class assured communications(R) products, systems, and
services. Additional information about Harris Corporation is
available at http://www.harris.com/. DATASOURCE: Harris Corporation
CONTACT: Sleighton Meyer, Harris Government Communications Systems,
+1-321-727-6514, , or Marc Raimondi, Harris Corporation -
Washington, D.C., +1-202-729-3732, , or Jim Burke, Harris
Corporation, +1-321-727-9131, Web Site: http://www.harris.com/
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