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I have to admit that in the past I have been guilty of a sin of omission that has plagued many commentators in the cyber arena. I have spoken and written many times about the terrorist threats I see as strong and dangerous possibilities. I have always mentioned the present terrorist use of the internet as an aside, and so much a lesser issue as to be unworthy of too much worry. I will stand up and admit that I have been WRONG. Yes, the terrorists have not used the cyber world for an attack as we might envision, but the threat presented by what they do now is real and chilling.
If this Administration were truly outraged by these drug-related murders and truly planned on working to bring justice to the border violence, it is doing so in an odd way: Practically the entire border security infrastructure of this Administration remains leaderless more than a year into Obama’s tenure.
What the TSA needs now is a good makeover; hopefully Major General (retired) Robert Harding is going to be the one to bring in the new broom. TSA has languished for years under a cloud of mistakes, errors and just plain carelessness with respect to their public image and their overall effectiveness. Generals lead by implementing policies set down by their civilian leadership. It is long past time we let the professionals do their jobs and expect the politicos to do theirs.
In what was one of his typically colorful appearances, ret. US Army LTG Russel Honore, the famed “Ragin Cajun” of Hurricane Katrina fame did not disappoint the assembled audience of the 4th Annual DHS University Network Summit. Before a packed hotel ballroom of PhDs, graduate students, DHS S&T leaders, industry reps and more, Honore dropped one-liners and candid, colorful observations that literally had the audience roaring in laughter. Amidst the laughter though were some very frank observations about our nation’s preparedness and overall resilience posture.
We often talk about cyber threats in different ways. Some speak of them based on who the bad guys are: hackers, terrorists, cyber criminals or nation states. Others use the bad guys’ technical approach as a means to define them: SQL injection, Memory Scrappers, DDoS Attacks, etc. A third way, one based on distance from targets, was used by Steven Chabinsky of the FBI recently in several venues. I think it adds to the depth of our analysis, and bring to the fore some key areas that are often overlooked.
Yesterday afternoon, President Obama announced that he will nominate Retired Army General Robert Harding to be the TSA Administrator. Harding is a well-known and highly respected military and intelligence officer, and under normal circumstances, his nomination should sail through the Senate. But these are not normal times in the Senate.
There is a comforting feeling in attending a meeting with the National Emergency Managers Association (NEMA). You are literally surrounded by some of the world’s best and brightest emergency managers in the public and private sectors. Probably no where else in the world could you assemble the talent, experience, and character in one room and fulfill the Allstate marketing adage of “you’re in good hands.” Such was my experience last weekend at NEMA’s annual mid-year conference in Alexandria, VA.
The Washington Times reported on Monday that the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Secure Border Initiative (SBI), designed to stem illegal immigration and secure U.S. borders, is far behind schedule, despite the $672 million spent thus far. This is not breaking news, as the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has been reporting to Congress since September that the project is in trouble.
In one of her first appearances on Capitol Hill since becoming DHS’ Under Secretary for Science & Technology, Tara O’Toole showed herself to be in complete comfort with the issues and challenges that face her. Her demeanor and candor at a FY2011 Budget Hearing before the House Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cyber Security and Science & Technology, also exhibited calm, cool and collected confidence in the programs she has inherited. This is just the reassurance that many from industry were looking for.
The Heritage Foundation sponsored a special event for Homeland Security Related Bloggers on March 3. They invited DHS Undersecretary for National Protection and Programs, the Honorable Rand Beers, to have a candid on-the-record chat with non-traditional “news” folks. I was honored to be included. He next joked that his title (National Protection & Programs) was not always helpful, as he invariably had to explain what it was he did before he could begin to act. Basically, this man is in charge of the resilience (through prevention and mitigation) of the cyber and other critical infrastructure of our nation. It is a daunting task indeed.
Following his testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee where he testified about chemical security, DHS Under Secretary Rand Beers met with national security bloggers for an “on the record” session hosted by the Heritage Foundation. It was a remarkably refreshing session – not only because Beers acknowledged the importance of reaching out to a wide range of critical thinkers (which occasionally includes bloggers), but also because he was characteristically candid. Would that other DHS officials followed his lead.
By Julie Myers Wood and Dawn Lurie
A recent report conducted on behalf of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) by Westat highlighted what some employers using E-Verify know all too well – when unauthorized workers roll the dice and try to get a job, far too often the E-Verify system lets them win. The report estimates that the inaccuracy rate for unauthorized workers on E-Verify is 54 percent. 54 percent! Those are incredibly tempting odds for those seeking employment. Considering all of the improvements made to the E-Verify system over the past two years, this report is disappointing but will surely serve as a motivator for the government to place additional focus on the number of false positives passing through the system.
The first panel of AFCEA’s Annual Homeland Security Conference had Cyber Security as a subject. That alone says something for the predominance and importance of this issue today. The discussion was a fine starting point for the event. Overall, it was a superb panel that covered a wide swath, and did it well.
Someone needs to buy Janet Napolitano a beer. Or at least give her a double of whatever she wants. After two consecutive days on Capitol Hill testifying in front of four different Congressional Committees, she’s earned it. In defending the Administration’s proposed 2011 budget, she took on a whole set of bipartisan punches and barbs from an array of political players who weren’t exactly happy with what she was trying to sell them.
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee held a long awaited hearing on Cyber Security. Chairman John Rockefeller began with the thought that a major cyber attack could shut down our nation’s most critical infrastructure. He called for legislation to “modernize the relationship between the government and the private sector on cyber security.” A stellar group of witnesses appeared, all who added to the growing discussion on cyber security.
Amidst the news today are reports that DHS employs more contractors than career civil servants. Lawmakers, notably Sen. Joseph Lieberman (ID-CT) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), have described this situation as “unacceptable, untenable and unsustainable.” The other notable word that they have used to describe this situation is “astounding.” This is a situation that has been known about for some time. If we really want to be “astounded” and have a system that is “acceptable, tenable and sustainable,” we can start by fixing the problem that created the civil service and contractor imbalance.
Yesterday’s actions by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) to represent TSA’s 40,000 screeners has upped the ante in the high stakes poker game the Obama Administration seems to have avoided playing. Will there or will there not be a union at TSA? If we are to ever move forward, the White House’s deafening silence has to end. Whatever decision it makes will have tremendous consequences and will leave some players at the poker table inflamed and outraged.
Last week, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers at the Philadelphia airport grossly mistreated Ryan Thomas, a 4-year-old boy who has intellectual and physical disabilities, and his parents. Headed for an Orlando-bound flight to celebrate Ryan’s birthday at Disney World, TSA security screeners forced Ryan’s parents to strip off his leg braces to clear security. What happened to Ryan is a symptom of what’s wrong with the airport security process, and it should be leveraged to enhance safety while improving the airport experience for all flyers.
Well, the week of 15 – 19 Feb 2010 was a fascinating one if you follow cybersecurity events. The bellwether stories are numerous, and reaction to them has been varied. Even if you don’t join in the debates of the blogosphere, it sure is fun to “watch.” On the serious side, these issues are all critical ones, and the number of experts (real ones, not the self-proclaimed variety) who hold widely varying positions shows the challenge of this field.