Obama's cybersecurity director sets stage for key report

Apr 23, 2009 9:56 AM

At yesterday’s session of RSA Conference 2009 (one of the country’s key computer security conferences) Melissa Hathway, whom President Obama appointed to head up a panel that recently completed a 60-day review of U.S. cybersecurity policy, dropped hints about the contents of the panel’s report, but no bombshells. The report, which she said was completed on April 17, hasn’t yet been released.

According to Hathaway, the Acting Senior Director for Cyberspace for the National Security and Homeland Security Councils, panel members produced a report that will include the following findings:

While it is the responsibility of our government to secure cyberspace, “no single government agency has a broad enough perspective to match the sweep of the challenges.”

There must be an immediate national dialogue on nation cybersecurity that helps the public understand the need for action.

Cooperation with other countries will be essential.

Because the private sector builds, owns, and operates most of the infrastructure that cyberspace relies on, the public and private sector’s interests are intertwined and both share the responsibility for security.

Securing cyberspace will require research and development, both public and private, that focuses on “game-changing technologies.”

Hathaway emphasized the need for harnessing “peer pressure” on the part of everyone who is in a position to create a culture of innovation and security. Changes will be required to policy, technology, education, and perhaps law.

There has been much speculation and anticipation of what new government security structure will be created as a result of the review and who will head this apparatus. Hathaway gave no detail about these concerns.

She did say that the committee’s report will be released “in the coming days.” We will provide more on this report when it is released.