Government could regulate private industry’s cybersecurity
Proposed laws would make cybersecurity an official federal issue. Among the powers the U.S. government would gain would be control over some private industries.
The new powers would come via two bills introduced in the Senate yesterday by Democrat John Rockefeller (pictured) and Republican Olympia Snowe. The bills follow a report published last year by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The bills would create the role of national cybersecurity advisor, a position reporting directly to the President. Whoever took up this post would be required to conduct a full review of national cybersecurity every four years. Such a position has already been floated and Melissa Hathaway – currently producing a similar review for Barack Obama – is expected to be a leading candidate once she completes the review.
As well as having powers over government and military computing, the bills would also introduce federal controls over the computer security policies and practices of private firms offering ‘essential services’ such as water and power. There would be mandatory standards which such firms had to follow and the relevant workers would have to be licensed as cybersecurity professionals.
The bill would also give the cybersecurity advisor the power to shut down computer networks, including private ones, in an emergency, as well as limit or close internet traffic to such networks. That’s likely to raise opposition from politicians who feel an unelected official should not have such powers without strict accountability.
The proposals may also reawaken the row over the bureaucracy behind the government’s cybersecurity policies. Powers are currently split between agencies under the control of the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense. Rod Beckstrom, head of one of those agencies (National Cybersecurity Center) quit last month claiming his work was being undermined by the other body concerned, the National Security Agency.
Related Posts:
