DHS Aims to Give More Detail on Infrastructure Plan

The Department of Homeland Security has released a preliminary report designed to make it more clear how it intends to protect the nation’s infrastructure. So why do some critics think the report leaves a few big questions unanswered?

According to an article by Anne Broache on CNET News.com, the department’s 175-page draft of its National Infrastructure Protection Plan outlines a framework for protecting the nation’s infrastructure. However, Broache says the report “seems to scatter cybersecurity responsibilities across the government and the private sector, while sticking to generalities about future plans.

Broache says the DHS released the latest version of the plan to help provide more detail on how it plans to protect infrastructure. The text does mention cybersecurity extensively, and Broache says there is an appendix devoted to the topic that offers some suggestions on how to deal with threat analysis, response readiness and training.

However, Broache says the document is “worded in terms of generalities.” For example, the plan “asserts that cybersecurity responsibilities should ultimately lie with the Department of Homeland Security, but also calls on state and local governments to come up with information security measures and to be aware of vulnerabilities in their systems,” she says.

The DHS is set to accept comments on the proposal until December 5.