According to several people who said they had seen the previous drafts of an executive order, the White House is planning to command federal agencies to create voluntary cyber-security guidelines for owners of water, power and other critical infrastructure facilities. According to the person who is presently outside the government and shouted on condition of anonymity in order to retain access to government officials, it tells those who have the competency to direct to go forth and do so.
The outline executive order contains elements of what had been the leading cyber-security reconstruct bill in the Senate that was demolished this summer in the middle of opposition from the industries in contrary to increased regulation. Joe Lieberman, senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman, an independent and one of the main authors of that bill encourage the White House to release the order.
Lieberman wrote to President Barack Obama that the Department of Homeland Security has clear control to administer risk assessments of critical infrastructure, recognize those systems or assets that are most exposed to cyber attack and issue voluntary standards for those analytical systems or assets to keep adequate cyber-security.
Within the agencies, the document has been circulating and it might go to top officials for their suggestions. An order was being acknowledged but would not give any details, they were not commenting on the elements, it was confirmed by Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for the administration’s National Security Council.
The suggested order would also ask DHS to confer with liberated agencies like as electric regulators and others that don’t answer to the president to notice who would take charge on cyber-security, said by Howard Schmidt, former White house cyber-security policy coordinator.
As the Securities and Exchange Commission did in October when it released guidance on when firms should reveal cyber attacks, said Schmidt, who has seen a previous draft, the hope is that if those agencies won’t allow DHS act they would carry out themselves. The Pentagon and the Commerce Department avoided to make any reaction regarding this matter.
Another Democratic leader on the concern who has asked for an executive order, the spokespeople for Senator John Rockefeller and Lieberman said their offices had not been provided copies of the said draft. With intelligence officials warning of fixed exploration of protected computer systems by hackers and the probability of more dismantle future attacks on stock exchanges, banks and electric plants and both past interventions, for the White House and in Congress, cyber-security has become a main issue.
The outlined order did not contain any penalties for firms that miss to comply to the standards or rewards for those who follow it. It could become a concern in the campaign, if the order derives before the election in November arrives. The Lieberman bill condemned as too oppressive by the leading Republicans.
On the merit of a planned order on Monday, the Chamber of Commerce which also disapproved the bill avoided to comment on the issue. The bill had been diminished in search of a compromise and asked in the letter that Obama explore means for generating the standards necessary, Lieberman said. They will still search for legislation that could go further in many terms, said by the administration officials and Lieberman, it may support liability protection for firms that share data with government officials or some who meet the requirements but still experience hacking.
REFERENCES:
http://gadgets.ndtv.com/internet/news/white-house-said-to-plan-executive-order-on-cyber-security-271790
http://home.topnewstoday.org/home/article/3415757/
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/White-House-said-plan-executive-2712334.S.168859749?qid=f53aef06-ceb1-4147-95c5-30155048f7e6&goback=.gmp_2712334
http://www.topix.com/forum/tech/computer-security
http://hashonomy.com/link/white-house-said-to-plan-executive-order-on-cybersecurity-reuters-620431/
