DHS Announces Plans to Boost Cybersecurity

Andy Purdy, the acting director of the Department of Homeland Security’s National Cybersecurity Division, has announced that his department has drafted a set of key scenarios for possible attacks against the Internet and IT systems.

According to an article by Alice Lipowicz on the Washington Technology website, Purdy will be seeking feedback from the private sector on how to best prepare and respond to cyberattacks. In addition to the plans, Lipowicz says DHS officials are working with the White House to put “the finishing touches on a new national cybersecurity research and development plan.”

“At DHS we recognize the importance of cybersecurity risks and we are energized by that risk,” Purdy said last week at an event. He also told Lipowicz that DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff is preparing to name an assistant secretary for cybersecurity and telecommunications, a recent elevation to the position that has been under scrutiny for months.

Lipowicz says that DHS officials are looking at key dependency elements like maintaining adequate electrical power supplies as part of their DR planning. The department is also meeting with software industry groups to promote shared responsibility for cybersecurity.

To read the full article, click here: http://www.washingtontechnology.com/news/1_1/telecom-it-infrastructure/27084-1.html