Next president urged to boost government computer security

[InfoSec News <isn () C4I ORG>]

http://www.techserver.com/noframes/story/0,2294,500288009-500455463-502995718-0,00.html

By GENE JOHNSON, Associated Press

REDMOND, Wash. (December 8, 2000 1:30 p.m. EST
http://www.nandotimes.com) - The nation's top cyberspace official
Friday called on the next president to boost the government's computer
security to prevent a "digital Pearl Harbor."

"What this presidential election year showed is that statistically
improbable events can occur," Richard Clarke of the National Security
Council said at a Microsoft-organized conference. "It may be
improbable that cyberspace can be seriously disrupted, it may be
improbable that a war in cyberspace can occur, but it could happen."

On coming to office, the next president will find that several nations
have created information-warfare units, Clarke said.

"These organizations are creating technology to bring down computer
networks," he said. "Some are doing reconnaissance today on our
networks, mapping them."

Clarke, appointed by President Clinton as the first national
coordinator for security, infrastructure protection and
counterterrorism, spoke at the SafeNet 2000 summit. The summit brought
together computer experts to discuss ways of improving Internet
security and privacy.

Clarke said the next president should appoint a government-wide chief
information officer, with authority to oversee all the government's
computer security, and whose appointment would need confirmation from
Congress.

He also said the Clinton administration is creating a scholarship
program to increase the number of government computer security
experts. Students who study computer security would receive $25,000 a
year in return for each year they agree to work for the government.

Another way to improve security throughout the Internet is to create
secure lines of communication between the technology industry and the
government, Clarke said. That way, they could share information about
hackers and viruses without worrying about the public learning about
it.

Clarke said the plan would require an exemption from the Freedom of
Information Act.

Others at the conference expressed the same notion. Harris Miller,
president of the Information Technology Association of America, said
that a nonprofit organization of 18 companies would be created early
next year to share information.

"You'll want to have the ability to share high-level intelligence on
an anonymous basis, without believing it's going to show up in an AP
article the next day," Miller said.

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