NSA chief says U.S. cybersecurity must be joint effort
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Lieutenant general Keith Alexander, director of the National Security Agency, said yesterday the NSA does not want to control U.S. cybersecurity, while speaking at the RSA Security Conference in San Francisco.
The comments were the latest in a back and forth over who should control the U.S. government's network security, which has been under constant attack from spies and cybercriminals, according to recent reports.
Cyberattacks by foreign governments have been a cause for concern. Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that files from the Pentagon's Joint Strike Fighter project had been clandestinely downloaded.
Alexander said yesterday that the Department of Homeland Security should oversee security for civilian networks while the NSA controls military network defenses. But he also warned that a coordinated response is necessary in times of crisis, something beyond current capabilities.
"The question is: What happens in a time of crisis? We don't have a way of seeing and sharing networks today in a timely manner," Alexander said, according to CNET News.
The former DHS cybersecurity chief resigned last month citing dominance of the agency by NSA.
Alexander said yesterday NSA does "not want to run cyber security for the United States government."
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