Expanding Partnership Enhances U.S. Cybersecurity Efforts

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Text: Expanding Partnership Enhances U.S. Cybersecurity Efforts
>
> (Homeland Security joins longstanding watchdog agency) (970)
>
> The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Carnegie Mellon
> University's CERT Coordination Center are forming a partnership to enhance
> the nation's capabilities to prevent and respond to cyber attacks on the
> Internet.
>
> CERT is an Internet watchdog agency formed in 1988, working today to alert
> U.S. industry and private computer users about real and potential threats
> to online security. The center has been an important player in
> coordinating responses to all the major virus and worm threats that have
> plagued the Internet in recent years.
>
> "The recent cyber attacks such as the Blaster worm and the SoBig virus
> highlight the urgent need for an enhanced computer emergency response
> program that coordinates national efforts to cyber incidents and attacks,"
> DHS Secretary Tom Ridge said in a press release issued by the Software
> Engineering Institute of Carnegie Mellon University, the parent agency of
> CERT.
>
> CERT and the National Cyber Security Division within DHS will form
> US-CERT, which will expand to include partnerships with private sector
> security vendors, domestic and international organizations.
>
> Following is the text of the press release:
>
> (begin text)
>
> Software Engineering Institute
> Carnegie Mellon University
> Sept. 15, 2003,
>
> U.S. Department of Homeland Security Announces Partnership with Carnegie
> Mellon's CERT Coordination Center
>
> PITTSBURGH -- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced a
> partnership with Carnegie Mellon University's CERT® Coordination Center
> (CERT/CC) to create US-CERT, a coordination point for prevention,
> protection, and response to cyber attacks across the Internet.
>
> The US-CERT will begin as a partnership between the National Cyber
> Security Division (NCSD) within DHS and Carnegie Mellon's CERT /CC.  The
> US-CERT will grow to include other partnerships with private-sector
> security vendors and domestic and international organizations.  These
> groups will work together to coordinate national and international efforts
> to prevent cyber attacks, protect systems, and respond to the effects of
> cyber attacks across the Internet.
>
> Carnegie Mellon's CERT/CC was formed in November 1988 within the Software
> Engineering Institute (SEI) by the Defense Advanced Research Projects
> Agency (DARPA) after an Internet worm brought 10 percent of
> Internet-connected systems to a halt. The SEI is a federally funded
> research and development center operated by Carnegie Mellon for the U.S.
> Department of Defense, the Software Engineering Institute's sponsor.
> CERT/CC also is affiliated with Carnegie Mellon's Cyber Security
> Laboratory.
>
> Today, Carnegie Mellon's CERT/CC alerts U.S. industry and computer users
> worldwide to potential threats to the security of their systems and
> provides information about how to avoid, minimize, or recover from the
> damage. The center has played a key role in coordinating responses to
> major security events such as the Code Red worm, Melissa virus, and most
> recently the MS Blaster worm and the Sobig.F virus.
>
> U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge called US-CERT "a key
> element to our national strategy to combat terrorism and protect our
> critical infrastructure."
>
> "The recent cyber attacks such as the Blaster worm and the SoBig virus
> highlight the urgent need for an enhanced computer emergency response
> program that coordinates national efforts to cyber incidents and attacks,"
> Ridge said.
>
> Speaking at a briefing in Washington, D.C. today, Carnegie Mellon
> University President Jared L. Cohon expressed enthusiasm for the
> partnership between the CERT/CC and the Department of Homeland Security,
> as well as its potential for future partnerships with industry and other
> universities.
>
> "Carnegie Mellon is proud and pleased to have this opportunity to work
> with the Department of Homeland Security. We are committed to maintaining
> our longstanding leadership in cyber security and to building additional
> strength in this critical area," Cohon said.
>
> "Our nation's growing use of the Internet for safety critical applications
> as well as business transactions, coupled with the increased
> sophistication and speed of cyber-attacks increases the risk that
> cyber-attacks can cause significant damage in short periods of time" said
> Richard D. Pethia, director of the CERT/CC. "We are pleased to have the
> opportunity to work with DHS and other partners to aggressively and
> continually improve our nation's cyber-security incident response
> capability.
>
> The Department of Homeland Security said that the creation of a US-CERT
> was the first in a series of upcoming announcements on new partnerships
> and initiatives within the National Cyber Security Division.
>
> About Carnegie Mellon:
>
> A top national research university, Carnegie Mellon University has one of
> the most technologically sophisticated campuses in the world. Carnegie
> Mellon's research and education program includes an extensive cyber
> security laboratory initiative.  The security initiative amplifies and
> expands on two of the university's greatest strengths -- a willingness to
> collaborate across departments and colleges, and a track record of working
> closely with government, business, and other sectors.
>
> Carnegie Mellon is a leader in the improvement of information security and
> software quality and home to some of the world's top researchers in
> engineering, computer science, public policy, and software engineering.
> Carnegie Mellon is home to the Center for Computer and Communications
> Security (C3S), a multidisciplinary center established to tackle the
> challenges related to Internet security, data storage, and privacy issues.
> C3S is led by Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Pradeep
> Khosla.
>
> About the SEI and the CERT/CC The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) is
> a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the U.S.
> Department of Defense and operated by Carnegie Mellon University. The
> SEI's core purpose is to help others make measured improvements in their
> software engineering capabilities. The CERT Coordination Center (CERT/CC)
> is located at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI). Following an
> Internet worm incident that brought 10 percent of Internet systems to a
> halt in November 1988, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
> (DARPA) charged the SEI with setting up a center to coordinate
> communication among experts during security emergencies and to help
> prevent future incidents.
>
> (end text)
>
> (Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
> Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
> NNNN
>
>
>
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