For more info on a specific newsletter, click the title. Details will be displayed in a new window.
Subscribe to
Computerworld 40 years of the most authoritative source of news and information for IT leaders.
New DHS cyber alert system under fire
or
Other Security Stories
|
|
|
|
January 29, 2004 (Computerworld) -- WASHINGTON -- The leaders of the security-information-sharing organizations within some of the nation's critical-infrastructure sectors are criticizing the Department of Homeland Security for announcing a new cyber alert system without better framing the role of the private sector.
In interviews with Computerworld, senior officials from the Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISAC) within the IT and financial services industries said they learned of the new DHS National Cyber Alert System from media reports that appeared shortly after the announcement was made yesterday (see story). More important, the officials said they still have little or no idea what, if any, new capabilities the alert system offers, what is expected of the ISACs or how the private sector is supposed to integrate and coordinate with the DHS on the alerts.
"The government wanted to know how it could get [security information] to everybody, but it didn't ask us how we could do that," said Pete Allor, operations director for the IT sector's ISAC. "At least you got a conference call," he said, referring to the media briefing hosted by the DHS.
During that briefing, Amit Yoran, director of the DHS's National Cyber Security Division, told reporters that the new alert system "will integrate very closely with ISAC functions, [and alerts] will be provided to the ISACS and in many cases coordinated with the ISACS in advance." That integration will be made possible by the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), he said.
That was news to Suzanne Gorman, chair of the financial services sector's ISAC, who said she and others were never briefed on what capabilities the US-CERT operation provides.
"We talk about partnerships, but it would have been really nice if they had a conversation with us ahead of making this announcement," said Gorman. "The way they did this was poor, to say the least."
Yoran, in response to those concerns, said the DHS did in fact conduct discussions with the various ISACs on what the department could do to increase awareness -- and he said that level of interaction will increase as the system matures.
However, Yoran said, the goal of the new system is to give "all users of cyberspace the information they need to protect themselves." He noted that the DHS alert system doesn't provide any sector-specific information. Instead, it offers a national-level view, which "even all of the ISACS don't cover," he said.
Despite the agency''s characterization of the new system as "a fundamental building block of the public/private partnership," both Allor and Gorman said the initiative seems to be geared more toward home users and the small business community than toward the medium-size and large companies that make up the bulk of the nation's critical infrastructure.
From a critical-infrastructure-protection perspective, "I'm not clear on how this is going to work," said Gorman. "There seems to be a lot of duplication of effort.
Allor also questioned the effectiveness of using e-mail alerts to notify home and small business users of security issues -- a key issue that the DHS should have discussed with the private sector, he said.
"Who are we trying to alert, for what, and what's the best method to get to them?" said Allor. It's not clear that e-mail alerts will be as timely for these users as they are for large enterprise users, he said.
|
Print this Story |
|
Send Us Feedback |
|
E-mail this Story |
|
Digg this Story |
|
Slashdot this Story |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
All Zones Application Performance Zone Business Continuity Zone Data Center Management Zone Enterprise-Class Security Zone The File Data Management Zone Grid Computing on Windows Zone Security Management Zone ITIL Best Practices Zone The SAS Zone Storage Virtualization Zone Business Intelligence and Analytics Zone |
 See your link here
|
 |
||||||||
| ||||||||
| ||||||||
| ||||||||
|
Why SaaS is Vital to Email and Web Security
Download this Executive Bulletin (a $49.95 value) for free, compliments of MessageLabs.
Get this white paper now!
Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services.
- Microsoft promises four patches next week
- Google gives away home-cooked Web application security scanner
- Storm botnet stages Fourth of July attacks
- More top stories
Security Management ZoneSecurity management is the process of developing a comprehensive data protection plan. It takes into account all potential threats, the existing network environment, the future needs of the organization, and lays out a multi-tiered blueprint to integrate the security technology needed to combat these threats. CDW can help keep your network and data secure. Visit the CDW Security Management Zone now See All Zones
|
 Fired up about IT? Join Sharkbait and share your true tales of IT. SharkBait is the place for you to sound off about everything IT – the good, the bad, and the rest of the weird stuff you deal with every day.New baits 
|
"Security Directions" virtual trade show2008's Code-Red Security Issues for Protecting the EnterpriseWebcasts, white papers, demos, and more. Presented in a unique 3-d environment. Enter our show right now! Click here to enter
|
 In SecuritySecurity's important, and risk must be addressed, right? Sure, but watch for four signs your policies go a bit overboard. Click here to read the latest column by Jon Espenschied |
CIO
Computerworld
CSO
DEMO
GamePro
Games.net
IDG Connect
IDG World Expo
Infoworld
The Industry Standard
ITworld
JavaWorld
LinuxWorld
MacUser
Macworld
Network World
PC World
Playlist
Copyright © 2008 Computerworld Inc. All
rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium
without express written permission of Computerworld Inc. is prohibited.
Computerworld and Computerworld.com and the respective logos are
trademarks of International Data Group Inc.
|
