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[infowar.de] GovNet-Update
Infowar.de, http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~bendrath/liste.html
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http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0402/041702h1.htm
White House cyber czar describes next phase of Internet plan
By Shane Harris
sharris -!
- govexec -
com
April 17, 2002
ORLANDO, Fla. - Speaking before a conference of hundreds of federal
technology personnel and industry officials Wednesday morning, Richard
Clarke, President Bush's point man on national cybersecurity, outlined
the next phase in the controversial plan to build an impenetrable
information network for the federal government, known as Govnet.
Clarke said a team from the General Services Administration had
completed a review of more than 167 responses from technology
companies on how the network could be built, and that the reviewers
had concluded that creating a stand-alone network, one not connected
to the vulnerable systems of any other networks, is technologically
feasible. Clarke added that some Defense Department and intelligence
agencies, as well as some organizations in the Energy Department,
already operate these kinds of solo networks today.
The government can't afford to put off major upgrades to information
security, Clarke said, noting that terrorists have continued to call
upon their followers to attack the nation's critical infrastructure of
power grids and information systems, many of which are connected to
the Internet.
Every government agency has failed a test of its information security
conducted by the National Security Agency, Clarke said. He criticized
technology experts in government and the private sector for living in
a "fantasy land" where they underestimate the power of online attacks
and the vulnerability of agencies and corporations to such attacks.
Clarke qualified the Bush administration's commitment to Govnet,
saying it is merely a "concept," not an actual program or project.
"Govnet is a question - that may lead to programs," Clarke said.
Lawmakers have not set aside any money in the president's budget for
next year to fund the network, even though Bush has called for a 64
percent increase in information security spending across the board.
Leading technology firms have criticized the Govnet plan as immature,
unclear and underfunded.
Clarke said the White House would seek permission from Congress to
begin assessing how much it would cost to build the hacker-proof
network and what the design of that system would be. He mentioned five
possible paths the next phase of Govnet could take:
1. Use ideas received from industry in response to the initial Govnet
proposal to improve security on existing networks.
2. Switch agencies over to other existing stand-alone networks.
3. Allow agencies to build their own stand-alone networks.
4. Create a back-up network to ensure continuity of critical
government operations in the event of a terrorist attack.
5. Create a multi-agency stand-alone network.
Those options have been informally floated by technology firms over
the past several months and offer little in the way of new thinking on
how Govnet would be built. Clarke offered no insight into which
approach the White House might favor, nor did he specifically endorse
one approach over another.
Clarke admonished the information technology industry, including such
giant firms as Microsoft, for not manufacturing sufficiently secure
products. He noted, however, that commitment to security has been
revitalized by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Clarke said that in a recent videotaped message, al Qaeda terrorist
network chief Osama bin Laden praised the September attacks and called
on his followers to attack the information infrastructure of the
United States. "I hope the bastard is dead," Clarke said. His comments
were greeted with applause from the audience.
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