Cybersecurity News

Information Week is reporting this afternoon that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced the chamber’s plan to combine several cybersecurity measures currently floating around the floor.

According to the article, Eric Hopkins, federal financial management subcommittee staffer of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, suggested, “By working together, we can put something together that will be solid and hopefully won’t require too much debate.”

The Information Week article goes on to acknowledge that the Senate homeland security committee bill co-sponsored by Sens. Lieberman, Collins and Carper, as well as the Senate commerce committee bill of Sens. Rockefeller and Snowe are “the two most prominent and comprehensive bills currently circulating.”

Meanwhile, cybersecurity continues to pick up steam, with the Washington Post reporting that the White House Office of Science and Technology announced its plan to sponsor major federal cybersecurity research.  According to Dawn Meyerriecks, deputy director of national intelligence for acquisition and technology, “The government’s about to spend multiple billions of dollars.”

The research will include: assigning public and private sector Internet sites to specific security levels, evolving our networks’ defense systems as they become susceptible to hacking, as well as focusing on the economic issues and incentives surrounding consumers’ cybersecurity.

In addition to the upcoming research, White House cybersecurity coordinator Howard Schmidt announced today that the Obama administration on Friday will release a new draft of its “National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace,” a plan that the National Journal says will attempt to “strengthen protections against identity theft and online fraud, but to do so in a way that is not disruptive for businesses and consumers.”

Also on board and aware of the increasing importance of Internet security, Politico kicked off the week with the launch of its new tech policy section.  Called “Morning Tech,” the new addition features “a daily download of technology news and analysis from Washington, Silicon Valley and beyond.”  Today’s topics include: Gen. Wesley Clark on the new US Cyber Command, Facebook’s Zuckerberg on tracking Internet locations and Wikileaks’ plan to release new Afghan files.

Additional cybersecurity news follows…

DoD sees change in cyber culture (Federal News Radio)

Who’s In Charge During a Major Cyber Attack? (Bank Info Security)

New Cybersecurity Focus For Federal R&D Group (Forbes)

Booz Allen Hamilton Guns for a $300 Million IPO (Daily Finance)

Estonian President Opens Global Conference on Cyber Conflict (TMCnet)