Cybersecurity Legislation Should Force U.S. Government to Listen Less and Speak More

By Jason Healey – To defend itself from the onslaughts of online crime and espionage backed by China and other nations, America’s private sector needs the capabilities of the US government. These tax-paying companies are on the new front lines of the cyber conflict, in which private enterprise is facing nation-state funded threats. Given their role in maintaining America’s critical infrastructure, these companies are not getting what they need. Now, new legislation puts too much stress on their responsibilities to talk to government. There is even talk of forcing cyber monitoring by the National Security Agency upon them.

The Internet is an open network and any adversary that uses novel malicious software knows it will eventually be discovered.  So by sending their attacks over the Internet, the bad guys have themselves already made their signatures public. Accordingly, NSA has plausible cover for declassification even if they relied on a sensitive collection source. more> http://is.gd/EwePGO

Related articles

• Cybersecurity and False Hope ↓
• Dangerously Vague Cybersecurity Legislation Threatens Civil Liberties ↑
• McCain, GOP Leaders Intro Cybersecurity Bill Alternative (theneteconomy.wordpress.com)
• U.S. Cybersecurity Debate Risks Leaving Critical Infrastructure in the Dark (theneteconomy.wordpress.com)
• White House, NSA weigh cybersecurity, personal privacy (theneteconomy.wordpress.com)
• Senators sharply divided over bill to regulate cybersecurity (theneteconomy.wordpress.com)

White House, NSA weigh cybersecurity, personal privacy

The National Security Agency
(Photo credit: @mjb)

By Ellen Nakashima – The National Security Agency has pushed repeatedly over the past year to expand its role in protecting private-sector computer networks from cyberattacks but has been rebuffed by the White House, largely because of privacy concerns, according to administration officials and internal documents.

The proposal drew on a Pentagon pilot program launched last year in which Internet service providers used the NSA’s library of threat data to scan e-mails and other computer traffic flowing to and from the nation’s top defense contractors . That program was a response to fears that foreign spy services were using cyber-technology to steal corporate or U.S. military secrets.

A Pentagon-commissioned report in November validated the concept but said the effectiveness of such an approach remained uncertain.

The NSA, however, saw the program as a model for expanding its role in protecting other potentially significant targets of cyberattacks. more> http://is.gd/l3jsE0

Related articles

• Civil liberties groups: Proposed cybersecurity bill is too broad ↓
• McCain, GOP Leaders Intro Cybersecurity Bill Alternative ↑
• Senate considers Cybersecurity Act of 2012, Mary Rose Roberts, [VIDEO 16:15] Urgent Communications
• Cybersecurity and U.S.-China Relations, Kenneth G. Lieberthal and Peter W. Singer, Brookings Institution
• House Committee Rushing to Approve Dangerous “Information Sharing” Bill (eff.org)
• What You Need To Know About The Senate Cybersecurity Bill (fastcompany.com)