Senate Legislation Would Federalize Cyber Security

[Paul Ferguson <fergdawgster () gmail com>]

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Via The Washington Post.

[snip]

Key lawmakers are pushing to dramatically escalate U.S. defenses against
cyberattacks, crafting proposals that would empower the government to set
and enforce security standards for private industry for the first time.

The proposals, in Senate legislation that could be introduced as early as
today, would broaden the focus of the government's cybersecurity efforts to
include not only military networks but also private systems that control
essentials such as electricity and water distribution. At the same time,
the bill would add regulatory teeth to ensure industry compliance with the
rules, congressional officials familiar with the plan said yesterday.

Addressing what intelligence officials describe as a gaping vulnerability,
the legislation also calls for the appointment of a White House
cybersecurity "czar" with unprecedented authority to shut down computer
networks, including private ones, if a cyberattack is underway, the
officials said.

How industry groups will respond is unclear. Jim Dempsey, vice president
for public policy at the Center for Democracy and Technology, which
represents private companies and civil liberties advocates, said that
mandatory standards have long been the "third rail of cybersecurity
policy." Dempsey said regulation could also stifle creativity by forcing
companies to adopt a uniform approach.

[snip]

More:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR200903310
3684.html

Somehow, this strikes me as a very bad idea....

- - ferg

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-- 
"Fergie", a.k.a. Paul Ferguson
 Engineering Architecture for the Internet
 fergdawgster(at)gmail.com
 ferg's tech blog: http://fergdawg.blogspot.com/
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