Computer Security Crisis

THE DAILY FED

Computer Security Crisis

The House Science Committee plans to introduce a bill later this month that will strengthen the 10-year-old Computer Security Act.

Rep. Constance Morella, R-Md., said the bill is in response to the lack of computer security in the federal government.

"It really is a national crisis," Morella told Federal Computer Week. "It threatens our national security...Federal systems and data are not beig adequately protected. The enormity of this issue is self-evident."

The bill is designed to establish minimum security standards for guarding federal systems. The act required the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop cost-effective security and privacy standards. It also required agencies to form security plans and provide mandatory security training for personnel.

Morella said the proposed bill would strengthen NIST's traditional role in computer security and address the lack of information technology security in educational programs nationwide.