Federal Cyber Security Plan Is Big, SecretThe Wall Street Journal reported this week that President Bush will propose a major increase in federal cyber security spending, in an effort to safeguard public and private comptuer networks: "Administration officials and lawmakers say that the prospect of cyberterrorists hacking into a nuclear-power plant or paralyzing Wall Street is becoming possible, and that the U.S. isn't prepared. The Journal estimates spending on the initiative could reach $30 billion over the next five years. Washington Technology sees the move as an effort to get out in front of upcoming threats: "Although the precise wording of the directive is not publicly known and its mission is not clear, the federal government appears to be moving toward becoming more active in stopping cyberattacks and preventing future attacks, not just passively safeguarding against attacks." At Government Executive, Jill Aitoro says that investments in network protection are overdue: "On Jan. 16, a CIA official confirmed attacks on computers that operate power companies worldwide, causing at least one widespread electricity outage. And in March 2007, researchers from the Idaho National Laboratories simulated a cyberattack on a power plant's control system that caused a generator to self-destruct." And at Information Week, George Hulme is stunned by the proposed plan's size: "$6 billion? Unless you are a close follower of the security market, that may not seem to be a startling figure to you. But it is an astonishingly high figure. And $30 billion even over a handful of years is absolutely astronomical... So yes, the network security market could quickly get much bigger. We'll know more when the budget is formally released next month. Posted by Joe Caponi at 11:05 AM, January 31, 2008 This is a public forum. United Business Media and its affiliates are not responsible for and do not control what is posted herein. United Business Media makes no warranties or guarantees concerning any advice dispensed by its staff members or readers. Community standards in this comment area do not permit hate language, excessive profanity, or other patently offensive language. Please be aware that all information posted to this comment area becomes the property of United Business Media LLC and may be edited and republished in print or electronic format as outlined in United Business Media's Terms of Service. Important Note: This comment area is NOT intended for commercial messages or solicitations of business. |
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