U.S. Cyber Security Chief Slams Security Efforts

Amber Corrin writes on FCW.com:

Although agencies are improving cybersecurity at the national level, the federal approach to securing U.S. interests online still leaves much to be desired, a high-ranking Obama administration official said.

Howard Schmidt, the White House's cybersecurity coordinator, called for enterprisewide network intrusion detection and math and science training in U.S. schools. He also cited a lack of coordination in the government's cyber research and development.

“As far as enterprisewide intrusion detection goes, it falls under the category of, ‘Why haven’t we done that already?' " Schmidt said at the Interagency Resources Management Conference in Cambridge, Md., April 13. “It’s a big point of discussion.”

The commercial sector is deploying intrusion detection technology on private networks, but the federal government is lagging, dogged by bureaucracy and disputes over privacy and how best to implement such a strategy, he said.

More here.