A presidential commission this week warned that the federal government needs to increase funding for information systems security and team up with the private sector to combat computer terrorism.
The President's Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection, a committee of administration officials and private-sector leaders led by retired Air Force Gen. Robert Marsh, sent a classified report to President Clinton on Monday. The report, a summary of which has been released, describes the ease with which skilled hackers can launch disabling attacks against government and private-sector systems. The government and industry must pool resources to prevent cyberattacks, the report says.
"Because our military and private infrastructures are becoming less and less separate, because the threats are harder to differentiate from local criminals or foreign powers, and because the techniques of protection, mitigation and restoration are largely the same, we conclude that responsibility for infrastructure protection and assurance can no longer be delegated on the basis of who the attacker is or where the attack originates," the commission's report said. "Rather, the responsibility should be shared cooperatively among all of the players."
For its part, the government should increase funding for research and development of new security technologies, the report said. In a speech earlier this month, Marsh said federal funding on infrastructure protection should be doubled from its current level of $250 million a year. The commission also suggested the White House should hold a conference to raise awareness of information security issues, while Congress needs to update laws governing infrastructure protection.
The commission's proposal calls for an office to be established in the White House to serve as the federal government's top policy-making organization for infrastructure security. It also recommends the creation of an infrastructure assurance support office, possibly housed in the Commerce Department. That office would be responsible for carrying out the commission's recommendations.
The commission also proposed creating a joint government-industry center to analyze threats to information systems and disseminate their findings to government agencies and private businesses.
White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry said the National Security Council will lead an interagency review of the commission's report and issue final recommendations to the president.
A congressional hearing on the report was postponed from Tuesday until November 5.
NEXT STORY: Government Stays Open