Report: GPS at risk

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2002/0107/web-heritage-01-11-02.asp

By Dan Caterinicchia 
Jan. 11, 2002

A study released this week urges the Bush administration to take
immediate steps to prevent terrorists from crippling the
satellite-based Global Positioning System, a key technology in
battlefield systems, navigation systems and other critical
applications across government.

The report, "Defending the American Homeland," from the Heritage
Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, recommends President
Bush designate GPS radio frequencies and network systems as critical
national infrastructure, so these systems receive the same protection
given to telecommunications, financial systems, utilities and other
core operations of vital interest to the country.

The report also recommends assigning responsibility for its security
to the Department of Defense and taking immediate steps to make the
network more secure.

The report's other recommendations include:

* Secure all federal networks and information systems, which would 
  require revising agencies' technology-purchasing guidelines to place 
  a premium on security, as well as exploring alternatives to the proposed 
  GovNet system, which would move critical government systems off the 
  public Internet and onto a private Internet-like network.

* Rapidly improve information-gathering capabilities at all government 
  levels, which should include having the Office of Homeland Security 
  establish a group to develop a national strategy for gathering and 
  sharing intelligence.

* Improve intelligence and information sharing among all government 
  levels through the creation of a federal information fusion center 
  where all intelligence data is sent and from where it is dispensed 
  on a need-to-know basis.

* Develop a program to increase airport and seaport controls, 
  including a federal interagency center to analyze the people and 
  products entering the U.S by sea.

* Direct the military to aid federal, state and local officials in 
  their counterterrorism efforts by identifying critical 
  infrastructure nodes, assessing security levels, and providing 
  protection for them,  as well as the redundant communications, 
  command and control systems.

Michael Scardaville, policy analyst for homeland security at the
Heritage Foundation and a member of the task force, said its plan is
to promote its findings to the administration, Congress and state and
local governments to "get as many recommendations instituted as
possible."

Scardaville said the driving factors of all the report's
recommendations were that they could be done "relatively quickly, at a
reasonable cost, and without any major shake-ups." He said that adding
GPS to the nation's critical infrastructure is a perfect example
because it simply requires a presidential directive mandating it "and
that is not a difficult thing to do."

The Heritage Foundation sent copies of the report to the White House
and some members of Congress, but has yet to receive official
feedback, Scardaville said.



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