Lawmaker Says DHS Needs Elevated Cybersecurity Czar

It’s time for the Department of Homeland Security to take notice of the growing cybersecurity threat and elevate the head of cybersecurity to the position of assistant secretary, says one Congresswoman.

In an opinion article on ZDNet.com, Rep. Zoë Lofgren (D-Calif.) takes the DHS to task, saying the department has “failed to realize the importance of elevating the cybersecurity czar's position.” Threats to global computer networks and systems are growing faster than we can address them, she says, and a cyberattack could disrupt major services and cripple economic activity.

Lofgren, the ranking member of the congressional Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Science, and Research & Development, says she and subcommittee chair Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) “have worked hard to address this issue…We recently introduced bipartisan legislation in the House of Representatives to create an assistant secretary of cybersecurity within the Department of Homeland Security, legislation that later passed in the House of Representatives as a part of the 9/11 Recommendations Implementation Act,” she says. “We are optimistic that this provision will survive the conference with the Senate and remain in the final version of the act.”

Lofgren’s article comes after weeks of changes in the cybersecurity division. Earlier this month, previous cybersecurity chief Amit Yoran abruptly resigned amid rumors he was frustrated by what he considered the department’s lack of attention paid to security issues.

As reported in last week’s continuity e-Guide, the DHS has said it intends to give the new computer security chief elevated powers, although not necessarily those of an assistant director.

To read Lofgren’s full article, click here: http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-5421322.html?tag=default