Cybersecurity certifications to be recommended by the White House
While their cybersecurity czar plans have been delayed for so long we were all a bit tired for waiting, the White House approach to fighting cyber threats seems to have found a new focus these days: recommending training, exams and detailed certification requirements for cybersecurity professionals employed or contracted by the federal government. And this is going through the careful review of a commission whose main purpose is to advise the Obama administration on cybersecurity policy.
The Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th Presidency, which in December 2008 issued its Securing Cyberspace for the 44th Presidency report to Congress, is currently working on a sequel to that report, due sometime in late June or early July. The commission, made up of a who’s who of experts and policy-makers, is debating strategies for building and developing a skilled cybersecurity workforce for the U.S., as well as issues surrounding an international cybersecurity strategy and online authentication.
Security pros expected to be in high demand for hiring
With chief information officers planning to increase hiring, even if just a bit, in the first quarter of 2010, who they are looking to hire is the next big question. And according to a recent survey, they are making the right choices, as security professionals are among their high priorities, together with networking and application development personnel.
Robert Half Technology interviewed 1400 US CIOs to reach their results, which predict a net 3% increase in IT hiring activity, spread across companies of all sizes in Q1 of 2010. The net increase was reached after putting together the 7% who expect additions to their staffs with the 4% that expect reductions.
The health services industry stands out as a bright spot in the hiring report, with 16% of health services CIOs planning to expand their IT departments and just 3% planning cutbacks. Many health services CIOs pointed to increased staff needs stemming from the development of enterprise-wide applications.
I wonder if the high IT pros demands of health companies have anything to do with all the security breaches and data loss or theft of the past year or so… I bet it does!
IDC: Most Insider Leaks are Accidents
When it comes to security breaches leading to data loss, accidents caused by insiders are more frequent and generally do more damage than those caused by insiders with malicious intents, shoes a new study published by industry research firm IDC industry research firm and sponsored bu RSA.
According to a report, 52 % of respondents characterized their insider threat incidents as predominantly accidental, while only 19% believed the threats were deliberate. Another 26 % said their insider issues were an equal combination of accidental and malicious threats.
“One of the things that jumped out at us from the study was how many insider incidents are unintentional,” says Chris Young, senior vice president of RSA products, quoted by Dark Reading. “These are individual actors who often are just trying to do their jobs and don’t understand that what they are doing is dangerous.” Read more
Obama’s Cybersecurity plan, a resignation marathon
The White House might have a bright, shiny plan for cybersecurity, but it seems unable to keep the security heads it needs to manage and further implement it. No less than the people holding key positions related to the USA’s cybersecurity have resigned in the past few months.
The trend was started in March by Rod Beckstrom, who at the time resigned from his position as head of the National Cybersecurity Center within the Department of Homeland Security. The said center coordinates the defense of civilian, military, and intelligence networks. The reason for Beckstrom’s resignation? As he stated in a letter quoted by the Register, the post was underfunded and unduly controlled by the National Security Agency.
The next person to announce their resignation was Obama’s top cybersecurity director, Melissa E. Hathway. What led to her decision was the long months of delays by the Obama administration in appointing a permanent director to oversee the safety of the nation’s vital computer networks. As the Register points out, Hathway was one of the best candidates for the “cybersecurity czar” position. The czar would hold the authority for securing networks and infrastructure that serve US banks, hospitals and stock exchanges.
The third and most recent top cat in the US government to go is Mischel Kwon, the head of the US Department of Homeland Security’s Computer Emergency Readiness Team. Washington Post rumor has it that Kwon had grown frustrated by bureaucratic obstacles and a lack of authority to fulfill her mission. And it seems people in her position don’t stick around for too long, she was the fourth US-CERT director in five years.
Hopefully, the critical cybersecurity plan will eventually be implemented, without any further delays and resignations. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!
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