Page 46 - The Public Eye

Governance & Risk Management

First CTO Suggest Cybersecurity Role for New CTO

Eric Chabrow • April 24, 2009

The first federal CTO thinks the new federal CTO also could serve as the federal cybersecurity czar. Norm Lorentz served as the federal chief technology officer in 2002 and 2003, working within the White House Office of Management and Budget. In that job, Lorentz focused on developing the federal IT enterprise...

NIST Scientist in Hall of Fame

Eric Chabrow • April 22, 2009

Congratulations to Ron Ross, senior computer scientist and information security researcher at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, for being named to the Information Systems Security Association's Hall of Fame for his leadership in the development of influential information security documents. This...

Governance & Risk Management

When Firsts Aren't Really Firsts

Eric Chabrow • April 21, 2009

Much ado has been made that tech-savvy President Obama appointed the federal government's first chief technology officer, Virginia Technology Secretary Aneesh Chopra. But don't tell that to Norman Lorentz, a strategic adviser at the nonpartisan and not-for-profit Partnership for Public Service. Lorentz can lay...

Governance & Risk Management

Fed CIO Council Gets New Chair

Eric Chabrow • April 20, 2009

A misnomer among some is that the federal Chief Information Officer Council is headed by the federal CIO. According to the E-Government Act of 2002, the CIO technically the administrator of e-government and information technology serves as director of the CIO Council. But the top slot, chairman, goes to the deputy...

Governance & Risk Management

5 Predictions for Obama's Cyber Policy

Eric Chabrow • April 19, 2009

White House advisor Melissa Hathaway was to submit as early as Friday to President Obama her 60-day study on federal cybersecurity policy and processes, which should serve as the basis for the administration's forthcoming cybersecurity policy. Not knowing what she'll report, I suspect that most, but not...

Cloud Security

Slowing the Rush to Cloud Computing

Eric Chabrow • April 16, 2009

Some very smart people in government are trying to figure out how to securely adopt cloud computing technology to help drive efficiencies.

Governance & Risk Management

Spying Against Those You Want to Protect

Eric Chabrow • April 15, 2009

"Amateurs hack systems, professionals hack people," information security engineer and analyst Muhammad El-Harmeel writes, citing security guru Bruce Schneier, in a paper entitled Human Being Firewall recently posted on the SANS Institute website.

Governance & Risk Management

IT Security: By the Numbers

Eric Chabrow • April 14, 2009

Security is the hottest thing in IT these days, at least to respondents of some surveys released the past couple of days. Here's a summary of them.

Governance & Risk Management

Cover Blown: Cybersecurity "Rock Star" Revealed

Eric Chabrow • April 8, 2009

The one fact that convinced me the Obama administration is getting serious about lining up support for its forthcoming cybersecurity initiative: it released a photograph of Melissa Hathaway. Hathaway is acting senior director for cyberspace at the National Security and Homeland Security Councils, and for the past...

IT Jobless Rises But Employment Remains Relatively Robust

Eric Chabrow • April 7, 2009

The number of jobless IT professionals in the United States rose by half this past year, but the number employed remained relatively stable, according to an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Governance & Risk Management

Senators Jumped the Gun in Cybersecurity Advisor Bill

Eric Chabrow • April 6, 2009

What's the rush? Legislation to create the post of White House cybersecurity advisor who would report directly to the president, introduced earlier this week by Sens. Jay Rockefeller, D.-W.Va., and Olympia Snowe, R.-Maine, may prove to be a great idea. Yet, was the legislation introduced too soon?

FISMA

This New Blog Seeks a Dialogue with You

Eric Chabrow • April 3, 2009

With the launch of GovInfoSecurity.com comes the launch of my blog, The Public Eye. First, a brief biography. I've been a journalist for too long. In my first job I used a manual typewriter and had a pair of sharp scissors and a paste pot on my desk.

Cloud Security

Cloud's Security Challenge Isn't Just Technical

Eric Chabrow • April 2, 2009

As federal agencies ponder whether to use cloud computing--the ability to access applications and data on servers over the Internet--the big security challenge isn't necessarily technical, employing the right technologies to assure the protection of data. What could prove to be an obstacle is certifying host IT...

Information Sharing

New Cyber Warfare Branch Proposed

Eric Chabrow • March 25, 2009

The time is ripe to create a fourth branch of the military a cyber-warfare branch. So conclude two Army officers. The existing cultures of the Army, Navy and Air Force are fundamentally incompatible to adequately defend against cyber attacks, argue Lt. Col. Gregory Conti and Col. John "Buck" Surdu, in an article...

Legislation & Litigation

Cyber Attacks Cost U.S. $1 Trillion a Year

Eric Chabrow • March 24, 2009

A figure bandied about a lot in recent months is $1 trillion. That's how much the Congressional Budget Office projects the nation's deficit could grow each year if much of President Obama's budget plan is enacted by Congress.