Welcoming the New Cybersecurity Coordinator

By now you may have seen the announcement that the President has selected Howard Schmidt as the Cybersecurity Coordinator. I said on more than one occasion that it was important to get the right person, and we at DHS will be honored to work with Howard and under the leadership he will bring to the issue of cybersecurity. Howard has been involved in cybersecurity for many years, and I first met him when I was a cyber crime prosecutor with the US Department of Justice and he was a special agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations in the 1990s. He built his own computers even then, and I’ll bet he still does.

Howard has demonstrated the ability to work across government regardless of party, and across industry, for many years. He helped establish the Information Technology – Information Sharing and Analysis Center, served on the President’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Board , has held key security positions in several private sector companies, has personally investigated cases and until recently continued to serve as an agent in a reserve capacity for the Army Criminal Investigations Division. It is hard to find someone in the cybersecurity community with whom Howard has not worked.

I and we look forward to continuing to work with Howard and his great team at the White House.

Phil

Phil Reitinger is the Deputy Under Secretary of the National Protection and Programs Directorate and Director of the National Cybersecurity Center

National Cybersecurity Awareness Month

Everyone thinks about cybersecurity now and then. Whether you’re setting up your business’ website, or opening a new checking account, or sitting down with your child to get on the internet; it’s an issue that affects all of us. Cybercrimes and the security of our private and government cyber infrastructure are critical parts of the department’s mission to secure our homeland – by making sure that we are all safer online.

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and the Secretary was joined this morning by Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn III, White House National Security Staff Acting Senior Director for Cybersecurity Chris Painter, Deputy Under Secretary for NPPD and Director of the National Cybersecurity Center Phil Reitinger, and Director of the Secret Service Mark Sullivan at an event here in Washington, D.C. to kick it off. During the event, Secretary Napolitano took the opportunity to announce the department’s new authority to recruit and hire up to 1,000 cybersecurity professionals across DHS to fill critical roles – including cyber risk and strategic analysis; cyber incident response; vulnerability detection and assessment; intelligence and investigation; and network and systems engineering.

“Effective cybersecurity requires all partners—individuals, communities, government entities and the private sector—to work together to protect our networks and strengthen our cyber resiliency,” said Secretary Napolitano. “This new hiring authority will enable DHS to recruit the best cyber analysts, developers and engineers in the world to serve their country by leading the nation’s defenses against cyber threats.”

Throughout October, we’ll be talking about ways you can make yourself, your business, and your family safer online. Cybersecurity, like preparing for a natural disaster or for a terrorist attack, is a shared responsibility; every American has a role to play. How can you contribute? That’s easy:

Take Action - There are many things businesses, schools, and home users can do to practice cybersecurity during National Cybersecurity Awareness Month and beyond.

• Make sure that you have anti-virus software and firewalls installed, properly configured, and up-to-date. New threats are discovered every day, and keeping your software updated is one of the easier ways to protect yourself from an attack. Set your computer to automatically update for you.
• Update your operating system and critical program software. Software updates offer the latest protection against malicious activities. Turn on automatic updating if that feature is available.
• Back up key files. If you have important files stored on your computer, copy them onto a removable disc and store it in a safe place.

Endorse - Demonstrate your commitment to cybersecurity.

• Create a section for cybersecurity on your organization's Web site.
• Add a signature block to your e-mail:"October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Stay Safe Online!
• Find more resources at US CERT.

Educate - Find out what more you can do to secure cyberspace and how you can share this with others.

• Participate in the National Cyber Security Alliance Cyber Security Awareness Volunteer Education (C-SAVE) Program and help educate elementary, middle, and high-school students about Internet safety and security.
• Review cybersecurity tips with your family.
• Use regular communications in your business—newsletters, e-mail alerts, Web sites, etc.—to increase awareness on issues like updating software processes, protecting personal identifiable information, and securing your wireless network.

Check out the new Cybersecurity Awareness Month page on dhs.gov to learn more, and stay tuned throughout the month.

Under Secretary Sits Down with Reporters

National Protection and Programs Directorate Under Secretary Rand Beers sat down with the DHS press corps last week to answer questions and talk about the Secretary's trip to Europe and the Middle East. He spoke broadly about DHS’ counterterrorism and cybersecurity efforts, emphasizing the need for cooperation with international partners. He took a few other questions from reporters as well—here are some of the highlights:

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A request for information (RFI) to support our cyber mission

In January 2009, DHS’ Cybersecurity & Communications shop hosted an Industry Day to open a dialogue between public and private sector technology providers. Today, as a follow-up to the Industry Day, DHS activated https://www.dhscyber.net for companies interested in responding to a request for information (RFI). The RFI is classified, but in general terms, it seeks information on prospective technical, end-to-end solutions that will help to protect the federal (.gov) cyber domain, and to facilitate cybersecurity improvements affecting the private sector. The effort will enable the Department to develop workable technology solutions while strengthening the relationship between the public and private sectors that is so critical to cybersecurity. Registration will remain open until July 22, 2009.

The Department is committed to increased collaboration between government and industry representatives. In May, President Obama noted in the first-ever Presidential address on cybersecurity:

“[i]t's the great irony of our Information Age -- the very technologies that empower us to create and to build also empower those who would disrupt and destroy. And this paradox -- seen and unseen -- is something that we experience every day.”

At Industry Day, DHS highlighted the need for private industry to become more involved in developing comprehensive, game-changing, innovative solutions that improve and expand upon our current capabilities to protect, detect, and respond to cyber incidents. The recent denial of service (DoS) incident only underscores that point. Our RFI is the next step in reaching out to stakeholders to assist us in advancing our capability to secure the nation’s critical cyber infrastructure and address future cyber challenges. For more information, we encourage you to visit FedBizOpps or email CIVendorInfo@dhs.gov.

Rand Beers Sworn in as Under Secretary for NPPD

This morning, Secretary Napolitano swore in Rand Beers as Under Secretary for the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD). Mr. Beers was confirmed by the Senate in late June, and brings a wealth of experience in national security and law enforcement policy.

“More than anyone I know, Rand Beers can be trusted with protecting the security of the United States,” said DHS Secretary Napolitano. “He will be an invaluable asset to NPPD. I thank Rand for his service as Acting Deputy Secretary, and I am grateful that his leadership and vast depth of experience will continue to benefit the Department of Homeland Security.”

Check out NPPD's page on dhs.gov for more information on who they are and what they do.