In Depth

DHS Cybersecurity: The Interactive Nightmare

The lead defender in protecting the critical infrastructure is the Department of Homeland Security, a collection of 23 agencies that began operations in January 2003

By Todd Datz

Putnam circulated the draft for feedback from industry and other groups. Not surprising, it generated a number of concerns, including the view that more regulation isn't the answer. Says Bob Dix, the subcommittee's staff director, Putnam listened to the private-sector feedback and decided to hold his legislation in abeyance for a period of time. Putnam, Dix says, challenged corporate America to come up with an alternative approach to "meaningfully move the ball down field to get significant improvements." In the meantime, Putnam and his staff assembled a working group from the private sector and academia to report back to him on ways that corporate information security can be improved. His report was due out around the same time as the findings from the Cyber Security Summit working groups.

While Putnam sees regulation as a last resort, Dix implies it's up to the private sector to take action. "The potential for a combined cyber and physical attack is frightening," he says. "We have reason to believe there are vulnerabilities that exist in the critical infrastructure that need to be addressed now."

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