Australia is preparing for cyber-terrorism attacks from "suicide hackers", who will aim to bring down critical infrastructure for a "cause" and not worry about facing 30 years in jail for their actions. So far there have been no major acts of cyber-terrorism -- where hackers take down parts of the critical infrastructure by breaking into power, water, transport or even air traffic control systems -- but the subject has been discussed a great deal. On Tuesday, Colonel Paul Straughair, the director of network centric warfare at the Australian Army and part of the Australian Department of Defence, said he saw "no logical reason" why suicide hackers would not strike in the future.
The Bush administration's cybersecurity chief, who worked under an unusual agreement with a private university that does extensive business with the office he manages, is leaving his job. Donald ``Andy'' Purdy Jr. will step down as acting director of the National Cyber Security Division, part of the Department of Homeland Security. A government spokesman, Jarrod Agen, declined to comment on Purdy's plans, but colleagues circulated an invitation to his farewell party next week. Purdy worked at Homeland Security under a two-year contract with Carnegie Mellon University that expires Oct. 3. Under the contract, the government paid Purdy $245,481 in salary and benefits each year, not including travel reimbursements; Carnegie Mellon paid him an additional $43,320 a year.
Source: Government Computer News - Posted by Eric Lubow
A survey by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers shows that state governments are paying more attention to information security, hiring chief information security officers and giving them defined budgets and enforcement authority. “Security is a hot topic in all the states, we’re all dealing with it,” said Nebraska CIO Brenda Decker in a conference call announcing the survey results.
Chertoff said on Monday that Gregory Garcia, who has been working at a Washington-area trade association, would become the department's first assistant secretary for cybersecurity, with responsibility for advising agencies and the private sector.
The announcement ends a vacancy at Homeland Security that lasted more than 14 months and a wait that drew criticism from members of Congress, who it said demonstrated that Chertoff has not taken the topic seriously.
The Department of Homeland Security has picked a new cyber-security czar. After a yearlong search, the federal government named former ITAA (Information Technology Association of America) vice president Gregory Garcia to be its overseer for cyber-security in the United States.
According to a statement released Sept. 18 by DHS secretary Michael Chertoff, Garcia will brings the "right mix of experience in government and the private sector" to succeed in the role of Assistant Secretary for Cyber Security and Telecommunications.
