Forwarded from: Jei <jeiat_private> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 30 May 2002 04:22:27 -0400 From: Declan McCullagh <declanat_private> To: politechat_private Subject: FC: Congress publishes father-knows-best "cybersecurity" report Congress' Joint Economic Committee published a report this afternoon on "cyber-security: http://www.house.gov/jec/security.pdf Skip the introduction; it's bland and repetitive. ("Interdependencies require us to think differently about security!") The essays themselves are more interesting: Not for what they say, but for how they say it. The report is an excellent example of the type of Father-knows-best thinking Washingtonians sometimes lapse into -- where technocrats proclaim their certitude about various societal woes and bemoan (a) their budgets, (b) their legal authority, (c) that private sector businesses aren't sufficiently compliant and/or deferential. All the essay authors, based on my quick read, are current or former government-natsec types, and I'd wager most have active security clearances. Note in the press release below four horsemen of the infocalypse are galloping hard into the fray ("hackers, software pirates, child pornographers and cyber terrorists", frets Rep. Lamar Smith). Missing are the drug smugglers and money launderers... Don't get me wrong; many of the recommendations make sense. Who wouldn't agree that government infosecurity is laughable and in need of some serious fixing? Some of the other ideas: * A "FANNIE MAE" for network security: "Toward that end, to maximize business confidence, a government-sponsored enterprise, managed as an independent corporation, should be considered..." * A cyber-czar, move over Richard Clarke: "We need to appoint a senior government official with clout..." * Corporate executives are slow-witted blokes who need things explained sloooowly: "Only when the threats to critical infrastructure are translated into business terms that corporate boards and senior management understand..." * Concern about "market failures": "The government must explore other options to prevent market failures from posing an unacceptable risk to the economic and national security of the United States..." * Limiting annonymity? "Sometimes anonymous environment... We must revisit our legal, economic, and social regimes... Ensure the effectiveness of law enforcement..." * X-Files fodder: "consider emulating FEMA..." -Declan --- For Immediate Release Press Release #107-90 May 29, 2002 Contact: Christopher Frenze Executive Director (202) 224-5171 NEW JEC COMPENDIUM EXAMINES CYBERTERRORIST THREAT WASHINGTON, D.C. A variety of security issues related to high technology is examined by leading experts in a new Joint Economic Committee compendium released today, Security in the Information Age: New Challenges, New Strategies. "These studies build on previous JEC hearings on a number of security issues related to high technology," Chairman Jim Saxton said. "These studies examine how cyber security has become such an important component of our economic and national security, and the implications for economic and security policy. I would like to thank Senator Robert Bennett for his interest in this issue, and for his role in assembling the compendium of papers the Committee is releasing today," Saxton concluded. "In bringing us an exciting new era of technology, the Information Age has also given us a new set of security challenges," Senator Bennett said. "The primary message of today's report is that we must think differently about national security in the new networked world. As some would say, 'we're not in Kansas anymore.' "I commend Governor Ridge for his outstanding work to develop a national strategy and his recognition of the importance of the private sector in this process. I hope our report from the JEC will be of value in this effort," said Bennett. "Just as mechanization was responsible for the Industrial Revolution, technology is the foundation of our new economy," Congressman Lamar Smith said. "The advantages of technology are obvious and so are the disadvantages. The Web is a fount of information, but also a tool for hackers, software pirates, child pornographers and cyber terrorists. To sustain our economic growth, we must secure our information networks and ensure that technology grows, not crime." For a copy of the study, please visit the JEC website at www.house.gov/jec ### ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like Politech? Make a donation here: http://www.politechbot.com/donate/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ISN is currently hosted by Attrition.org To unsubscribe email majordomoat_private with 'unsubscribe isn' in the BODY of the mail.
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