Napolitano says Secret Service is lead cybersecurity agency
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Speaking at the Global Cyber Security Conference in Washington yesterday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the Secret Service is the lead civilian agency fighting cybercrime in the U.S.
In the wake of the resignation of Melissa Hathaway, the top White House advisor on cybersecurity, Napolitano remarked that it is DHS, which includes the Secret Service, that has jurisdiction over cybersecurity for civilian agencies and the private sector, rather than the military.
Without a cybersecurity czar, a high-level post recommended in the 60-day cybersecurity review led by Hathaway, Napolitano's speech underscored the lack of coordination and other challenges facing the government as it tries to more fully secure the nation from online threats.
"When I came into the department I think it's fair to say we were not organized sufficiently where cybersecurity is concerned," Napolitano said.
How the government will recruit and retain top talent and make the Secret Service "the repository for cybersecurity" knowledge within the government is a leading challenge, she said.
Other challenges include a lack of significant research and development capacity in civilian agencies, the difficulties of sharing intelligence and involving the private sector in promoting online security.
Napolitano announced the creation of a quadrennial Homeland Security Review process to outline strategic goals and a new website, homelandsecuritydialogue.org, to encourage input from academic and private sector experts.
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