White House to coordinate cybersecurity efforts

The White House will coordinate the national cybersecurity strategy but without creating a separate office, said members of a House caucus that was briefed on the progress of the Obama administration’s 60-day cyber review.Melissa Hathaway, senior director for cyberspace for the National Security and Homeland Security councils, briefed the House Cybersecurity Caucus on Thursday about the progress she has made in the administration’s review of agencies’ cybersecurity efforts, which is more than halfway done. The caucus was established in September 2008 to provide a forum for representatives from different committees to discuss the issues in securing cyberspace.
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090326_7200.phpWhite House cyber adviser–more questions than answers
The comprehensive cybersecurity legislation currently in development in the Senate aims to bring high-level government attention to the serious problem of cybersecurity by giving one White House official oversight of critical network infrastructure.Yet the proposal in the draft legislation to give the national cybersecurity adviser the ability to disconnect federal or “critical” networks under threat of cyberattack may create more uncertainties than solutions, at least initially, cybersecurity experts warn.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10203622-38.htmlCyber Review May Urge White House Control
The Obama administration’s 60-day review of the federal cybersecurity posture will likely conclude that a comprehensive strategy for protecting the government’s IT assets and critical infrastructure from high-tech attacks should be run by the White House, Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., told reporters Thursday.
http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/03/cyber-review-may-urge-white-ho.phpCreation of White House cybersecurity office remains uncertain
It’s unclear whether a report being prepared for the President on federal information security preparedness will support recent calls for the creation of a new cybersecurity office within the White House, two lawmakers said today.Instead, the report may recommend a more collaborative and cooperative strategy between federal agencies on the issue of cybersecurity without a single agency or department in charge, they said.
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