US Cybersecurity Chief Resigns

The government’s coordinator for cybersecurity programs has quit, criticizing what he described as the National Security Agency’s grip on cybersecurity.Rod Beckstrom, a former Silicon Valley entrepreneur, said in his resignation letter that the NSA’s central role in cybersecurity is “a bad strategy” because it is important to have a civilian agency taking a key role in the issue. The NSA is part of the Department of Defense.The power battles Mr. Beckstrom describes in his resignation letter illustrate the challenges ahead for the Obama administration as it plans its defense against governments and terrorists who might try to disrupt U.S. computer systems, cybersecurity specialists said. One issue is what part or parts of the government should lead the effort.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123638468860758145.htmlCybersecurity official quits, blasts NSA power grab
A top federal cybersecurity official resigned this week in a letter sharply critical of what he described as a power grab by the National Security Agency.Rod Beckström, director of Homeland Security’s National Cybersecurity Center, said in his letter that NSA “effectively controls DHS cyber efforts through detailees, technology insertions,” and has proposed moving some functions to the agency’s Fort Meade, Md., headquarters.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10191170-38.htmlFederal cybersecurity director quits, complains of NSA role
In a move that highlights differences over who should be in charge of national cybersecurity efforts, the director of a federal office set up to protect civilian, military and intelligence networks has submitted his resignation after less than a year in the job.Rod Beckstrom, director of the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), on Friday said he is quitting because of concerns over what he said is the National Security Agency’s (NSA) domination of the nation’s cybersecurity efforts. The NCSC was set up within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last year to oversee and coordinate efforts to shore up the nation’s defenses and responses to cyberthreats.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9129218