NIST chided for computer security efforts

The National Institute of Standards and Technology must make a greater effort to set governmentwide security standards, the Computer System Security and Privacy Advisory Board said Tuesday.

Members of the committee created to supervise the development of non-military computer security charged NIST with failing to safeguard the information of federal government agencies. NIST should be developing security systems that serve as model for the federal government's use of IT, the board said.

NIST, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Commerce Department, "has a legitimate role to dive into the issue and be a champion of it," said board member Joseph Leo, a deputy administrator at the Agriculture Department who has been instrumental in distributing government benefits electronically. "I think NIST should be one of the premier players in the game."

NIST's lack of attention to security is evinced by the lack of any senior officials among the approximately 50 employees of the agency's computer security division, said Rand Corporation security expert Willis Ware, who chairs the 12-member advisory board. Ware said NIST should seek federal appropriations of $10 million, not just its current request of $1 million, for its computer security division.

The failure to replace computer security officials who left for the private sector may be part of the problem, Ware believes.

"Are you maintaining posture or sliding downhill?" Ware asked.

Miles Smid, the acting chief of NIST's Computer Security Division, responded by pointing out that the size of the staff was larger than it had been for some time. But he conceded that the agency could improve on informing other government agencies about its programs.