Forwarded From: "Prosser, Mike" <Mike_Prosser@tds.com>
[ya'all can draw you own conclusions...I have mine! -Mike]
6/16/98
[WS] Defense News June 15-21, 1998 U.S. Congress Attacks Cyber Defense
Funds By George I. Seffers Defense News Staff Writer WASHINGTON--
Congress is taking millions of dollars from the war chest intended to
protect critical U.S. infrastructure from potentially crippling cyber
attacks, according to Defense Department and White House sources. The
House Appropriations Committee deleted the entire $69.9 million the
Defense Department had requested for infrastructure protection in its
1999 budget. That funding should be restored, Linton Wells, principal
deputy for the assistant secretary of defense for command, control,
communications and intelligence, told lawmakers at a June 11 hearing
here on protecting national infrastructures-- telecommunications,
banking and finance, energy, transportation, and essential government
services-- from cyber attack. The hearing was held jointly by the House
National Security military procurement and the military research and
development subcommittees. A source with the Critical Infrastructure
Assurance Office told Defense News June 11 that the Senate Armed
Services Committee had taken away $30 million of the Defense
Department's infrastructure protection funds, even though the House
National Security Committee left the funds untouched. The differences
will have to hammered out when the congressional committees go into
conference later this year. But the source said he fears the trend will
continue. "This has proven to be a tempting target for Congress because
there is no program yet," he said "What worries me is that we're so
stretched thin with personnel, we can't get anyone over there to defend
it." Having Congress strip away money makes the already difficult goal
of protecting infrastructure from cyber attack even tougher, a Pentagon
source said June 11. Cyber attacks would include attempts by hackers,
foreign governments or terrorists to break into a computer system and
disrupt its functions. All critical U.S. infrastructures are becoming
increasingly reliant on computers and, therefore, are increasingly
vulnerable. "There are a lot of things that will stand in our way as it
is. It's a laudable goal, and we will do our best, but a goal without
funding is fantasy," the Pentagon source said. The amount of money
available to fund critical infrastructure protection is hard to
determine, in part because it only became a bona fide government effort
May 22, when President Bill Clinton signed two directives. In the
directives, Clinton created the Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office
within the Department of Commerce, and set a five-year goal for being
able to protect critical infrastructures. In addition, the president
created: * A national center to warn of, and respond to, cyber and
physical attacks on the infrastructures. * A national coordinator office
to focus on critical infrastructure protection, foreign terrorism and
domestic weapons of mass destruction, including biological weapons. * A
National Infrastructure Protection Center within the FBI to promote
information sharing between various departments, agencies and the
private sector and to coordinate a response to hacker attacks,
investigate threats and monitor reconstitution efforts. * An Information
Sharing and Analysis Center drawn from state and local officials to
provide guidance to the policy formulation of a national plan. A figure
for the exact amount to fund critical infrastructure protection is not
available, Gordy Bendick, spokesman for the Critical Infrastructure
Assurance Office, said June 11. In part, this is because the effort has
been under way a few weeks, and intelligence agencies, which do not
often reveal budget figures, are donating some of the money, he said.
The Commerce Department is expected to dedicate about $20 million in
1999, the Justice Department about $70 million. The Transportation
Department also is expected to contribute, but Bendick said he does not
yet know how much. Jeffrey Hunker, director of the Critical
Infrastructure Assurance Office, said it is not now necessary for the
White House to ask Congress for more money. But he said he may request
more in the 2000 budget. "It's very important [that] before we start
throwing money at this problem, we understand specifically where the
money is already being spent, where it isn't being spent and how we
avoid duplicative programs," Hunker said. Despite the challenges, Hunker
told Defense News he is confident the White House will meet its
five-year goal. The President's Commission on Critical Infrastructure
Protection last year recommended an additional $2 billion be invested in
research and development alone, a recommendation ignored by Clinton May
22 when he signed the two directives.
-o-
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Received on Wed Jun 17 21:07:29 1998