Cyber security has come of age when U.S. agencies fight over budget and control.
Much attention has been paid to the Obama administration's 60-day review of the nation's cyber security led by Meslissa Hathaway. Matters have come to a boil now that U.S. agencies are fighting (although somewhat obscurely) over budget and control. This is a good sign.
Battle is joined (The Economist)
To quote:
In the past few weeks there have been alarming reports that America’s systems have already been infiltrated. On April 8th the Wall Street Journal quoted “current and former national-security officials” who warned that “cyberspies” from China, Russia and elsewhere had broken into the systems that control America’s electrical grid and had installed software that could be used to disrupt it. And on April 21st the newspaper said foreign hackers had penetrated computers containing data about the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Does this mean America is suddenly under attack, and that war has broken out in cyberspace?
...the most likely explanation for the sudden spate of scare stories is rather more mundane: a turf war between American government agencies over who should oversee the nation’s cyber-security...At stake are tens of billions of dollars in funding promised for a multi-year cyber-security initiative.
In February Barack Obama launched a review of America’s cyber-security efforts. The findings are expected to influence how funds are allocated and the relative balance of power between the various agencies. Frantic jockeying for position may explain the recent scare stories, and their curious lack of detail.
Let us hope the leaders of US agencies fight as hard for real and lasting improvements in cyber security as they do for budget and control.
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