Foreign terrorists, domestic terrorists, computer hackers, natural
disasters, and the Y2K computer bug all pose a significant threat to
industry and government. Some of the top minds met in the White
House Conference Center yesterday to find solutions.
A national effort to reconstitute failed computer systems is essential, they concluded. It doesn’t matter if computers controlling our nation’s
infrastructure fail because of Y2K or cyber attack. If they fail,
they will need to be restored, it was decided.
“It’s important that we create a national capability to reconstitute
after a electronic or cyber intrusion. If you think about Y2K, if
systems fail as a result of Y2K, we’re going to need a national
reconstitution system in order to fix those systems. They’re not
going to come back of their own accord,” explained Jeffrey Hunker,
director of the Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office.
Over 60 experts from private industry and federal agencies met
together to discuss the creation of a the Information Sharing and
Assessment Center. ISAC will serve as a clearinghouse for
gathering, analyzing, and disseminating information between
government agencies and private sector critical industries in an
effort to defend against threats to critical infrastructures.
“Building a close working relationship between industry and government is a complex challenge, but absolutely crucial if we are to succeed in protecting the nation’s information systems from organized attacks,” said Hunker in an interview with WorldNetDaily, following the meeting.
The conference was hosted by the White House, the National Security
Council, the National Economic Council, and the Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office. Its purpose was to bring together industry and government leaders who have a common interest in securing the information systems on which power, transportation, banking, and telecommunications networks depend.
The Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office was formed as a result of Presidential Decision Directive 63, a classified order signed by President
Clinton May 22, 1998. That directive called on the federal government to establish the ISAC, which was the purpose of the White House session.
Leaders studied eight different models for the design of ISAC. Plans
for future legislation were also discussed. Private industry has
been reluctant to share experiences with threats to communications
and computer systems with other companies, or with government
officials. Virtually all cyber attacks have gone unreported,
according to Hunker.
“Today we heard some very good ideas on the information sharing
process. This is a unique area of concern for industry and
government. This meeting has initiated an important dialogue, and I
am very encouraged about our cooperative efforts in infrastructure
protection,” said Stephen Katz, vice president and chief information
security officer of Citigroup. Katz, who serves as the banking and
finance industry liaison to the government, moderated the
conference.
The meeting participants consider the Y2K computer problem as just
one of many threats to the nation’s infrastructure. The government
is including private industry in plans for prevention and
remediation of threats to infrastructure, because so much of what we
depend on is operated and owned by privately owned businesses.
Communications, power supply, transportation, and banking are all
information system dependent industries that the entire nation depends
on every day. A failure by one will cause failures in others. Every
agency of government depends on these private sector services, and
until now those industries have avoided contact with government as
much as possible.
The Y2K threat has brought many interests together, according to
Hunker. Whether the threat is Y2K or cyber-terrorism, the prevention
and remediation are about the same.
“A lot of the work people have had to do for Y2K preparedness is
actually the foundation of the work that they need to do for
information systems security preparedness as well,” he told
WorldNetDaily. “It’s an amazing fact but both within the federal
government and within the corporate community most people had never
actually mapped out and prioritized their information systems until
they were essentially forced to do that because they had to deal
with the Y2K problem.
“You have to do that same sort of mapping out understanding what
your connections are, what is most important, what is less important
— you have to do that same sort of process if you’re going to think
about system security as well. So, a lot of the foundational work
that’s been done for Y2K is exactly the same work that would’ve had
to been done in terms of the security issues that we’re talking
about.”
The Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office is working closely with
the President’s Council on the Year 2000 and with the Federal
Emergency Management Agency to create a national Y2K reconstitution
capability.
“If there are problems, there will be someone who can be called to
help provide some advice in terms of work-arounds, or how to get the
systems back up and operating again,” explained Hunker.
David M. Bresnahan, a contributing editor for WorldNetDaily.com, is the author of “Cover Up: The Art and Science of Political Deception,” and offers a monthly newsletter “Talk USA Investigative Reports.”
He may be reached through email and also maintains a website.
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WND Staff