DHS Fails to Accomplish Cybersecurity Mission, Expert Says

Our widespread use of computer interconnectivity has changed the way our businesses run, but is the Department of Homeland Security failing at keeping those networks safe?

According to an opinion piece by Jim Kouri, the fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police, on the MichNews.com website, while the DHS “has initiated multiple efforts to fulfill its responsibilities, it has not fully addressed any of the 13 responsibilities, and much work remains ahead.”

Kouri says the DHS is the focal point for critical infrastructure protection (CIP), and gives some examples of how the department hasn’t yet taken full responsibility for cybersecurity. In one example, he says the DHS established the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team, a public/private cybersecurity partnership, but points out that they haven’t yet developed national cyber threat and vulnerability assessments.

However, Kouri says the department “faces a number of challenges that have impeded its ability to fulfill its cyber CIP responsibilities. These key challenges include achieving organizational stability, gaining organizational authority, overcoming hiring and contracting issues, increasing awareness about cybersecurity roles and capabilities, establishing effective partnerships with stakeholders, achieving two-way information sharing with these stakeholders, and demonstrating the value DHS can provide.”

To read the full article, click here: http://www.michnews.com/artman/publish/article_8634.shtml