GAO: U.S. Approach to Global Cyber Security Falls Short

Ben Bain writes on FCW.com:

The Obama administration should take steps to improve and better coordinate the United States’ approach to international cyberspace policy, the Government Accountability Office has said.

According to a report [.pdf] released today by GAO, global aspects of cyberspace “present key challenges to U.S. policy.” GAO said U.S. involvement in the many organizations that are involved in developing international agreements and standards “is essential to promoting our national and economic security to the rest of the world.”

U.S. law enforcement attempts to prosecute cyber crime have been complicated by differing legal systems and the United States has been unable to define cyberspace-related norms that may be necessary for guiding incident response, the auditors found. GAO said “challenges in U.S. leadership, strategy, and coordination have hampered the nation’s ability to promote cyberspace-related technical standards and policies and establish global cyber incident response capabilities consistent with our national economic and national security interests.”

GAO identified 19 organizations considered by experts as key for global cyberspace policy. The organizations that are identified vary in scope and purpose, and include the European Union, the United Nations, the Internet Engineering Task Force, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

More here.