Archive for April, 2011
Schmidt: No Cyber ‘Leadership Vacuum’
Apr 25th
From: ExecutiveGov.com
Howard Schmidt, White House cybersecurity coordinator, said in a recent interview there is no leadership vacuum in federal cybersecurity efforts.
And for proof, look no further than his office.
“When you look at the composition of our office — and the president established it — there were a number of things we are looking at: federal cybersecurity, private sector environment and critical infrastructure, international environment and … the business needs of this thing, what are the economic issues we deal with and workforce development,” he said, in an interview with Federal News Radio. “We’ve got the broad brush in our office and that’s the way we operate.”
Service providers propose private sector lead cybersecurity legislation
Apr 18th
From: Connected Planet
by Susana Schwartz – April 18th, 2011
Friday, The National Cable & Telecommunications Association joined with the CTIA’s Cybersecurity working groups to emphasize to the federal government that legislation around cybersecurity should be built from the ground up with the input of service providers in the earliest planning phases, not after the fact when they can have little influence. Telcos and ISPs this time around want to avoid some of the hardship, costs and bureaucratic red tape that often comes with new appointees like Howard Schmidt.
Google Products Lacked Key Government Certification, DOJ Says
Apr 11th
From: Bloomberg
By Dina Bass – Apr 11, 2011
Google Inc. (GOOG)’s Internet-based software applications for government customers don’t have a key security certification, contrary to the company’s claims in a lawsuit over a multimillion-dollar contract, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a December legal filing.
In a filing unsealed on April 8, the Justice Department said it “appears” that Google Apps for Government software doesn’t have Federal Information Security Management Act certification, “notwithstanding Google’s representations to the public at large, its counsel, the GAO (Government Accountability Office) and this court.”
Regulatory Watchdog: Will FISMA Standards be Extended to Industry to Avoid Financial Cyber Attack?
Apr 4th
From: TheNewNewInternet.com
As the National Institute of Standards and Technology makes headway in preparing standards required by FISMA, a regulatory watchdog in the District is expressing concerns both about the increasing burden on industry and whether FISMA standards will include the private sector in thwarting a financial cyber attack.
The Center for Regulatory Effectiveness, founded and managed by former regulatory officials of the White House Office of Management and Budget, published on its Interactive Public Docket two recent articles in The Wall Street Journal in an effort to highlight FISMA and FedRAMP worries.