Senate Focuses on Information Security

In the morning, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, chaired by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (pictured, at left), I-Conn., will hold a hearing entitled Cyber Security: Developing a National Strategy. Among those scheduled to testify are Stewart A. Baker, former Homeland Security assistant secretary for policy; James Lewis, director and senior fellow for technology and public policy program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, sponsor of the Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th Presidency; Alan Paller, Director of Research, SANS Institute research director; and Tom Kellermann, Cybersecurity Commission member and vice president of security awareness at Core Security Technologies, a provider of audit, penetration testing and software products and services.

A few hours later, the committee's Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services and International Security chaired by Sen. Tom Carper, D.-Del., will hold a hearing entitled Government 2.0: Advancing America into the 21st Century and a Digital Future, which is expected to also cover FISMA reform. Among its witnesses: federal CIO Vivek Kundra, who's serves as the administrator of e-Government and IT in the White House Office of Management and Budget; Karen Evans, his immediate predecessor; David Powner, director of IT issues at the Government Accountability Office; and Philip Bond, president of the IT trade group TechAmerica.

Here are some recent postings on GovInfoSecurity.com related to these hearings:

• FISMA Reform Bill Due Tuesday
• Senator Tom Carper on FISMA Reforms
• 6 Priorities to Consider on FISMA Reform
• FISMA Author Tom Davis Calls for Act to be Reformed
• Defining Information Security Metrics: Ron Ross of NIST