DHS partners with CERT/CC to fight cyberattacks

Computerworld - The Department of Homeland Security announced today that it is partnering with Carnegie Mellon's CERT center to help coordinate efforts to prevent and defend against cyberattacks.
The new organization, which will involve the department's National Cyber Security Division, will coordinate the prevention of, protection from and response to cyberattacks.
The university's CERT Coordination Center (CERT/CC) issues advisories about security vulnerabilities in software, warns of virus and worm outbreaks, offers tips on keeping computer systems secure and helps to coordinate responses to some security incidents.
Jeffrey Carpenter, manager of CERT/CC, said US-CERT will bring together various organizations that work on Internet security issues to collaborate and share information better than has been done in the past.
"We're looking at bringing together as partners in US-CERT other computer security incident response teams, managed security response teams and other organizations that are focused on Internet security," he said.
US-CERT will work to provide communication and sharing mechanisms to allow that community of people to talk, share information and, when there's a major security event, to be able to analyze and disseminate information faster than has been done before, according to Carpenter.
"This new center for cyber security is a key element to our national strategy to combat terrorism and protect our critical infrastructure," said Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge in a statement. "The recent cyber attacks such as the Blaster worm and the SoBig virus highlight the urgent need for an enhanced computer emergency response program that coordinates national efforts to cyber incidents and attacks."

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