So much for letting businesses who know better do what they need to do to protect their critical networks and the Internet. Now, the Bush Administration reportedly says either businesses get cracking in earnest or Congress is going to force them to do it, the message coming out of the Dec. 2 National Cyber Security Summit in California.
Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary for infrastructure protection Robert Liscouski told the California summit the Bush White House would rather make a partnership with the tech industry, which Liscouski believes is best suited to build and promote a nationwide cyberspace protection push, according to the Washington Post.
But Liscouski also said there "are a lot of people out there willing to legislate how you do your work. We are not going to let anybody who operates in this space dodge their responsibility. We want to see results."
Tech trade groups and the Commerce Department brought together high-powered tech players with Homeland Security for the summit, according to the Post, which said the purpose of the meeting "was for both a formal status check of the business community's efforts (or lack thereof) to embrace cybersecurity guidelines and to brainstorm ways for industry to get involved in helping the government ward off hacker and worm attacks."
The Post said the tech elite thinks the White House's cybersecurity plans so far – including a national plan earlier in 2003 that tells businesses how to protect themselves and the Internet – is just too vague, and too wishy-washy a refusal to toughen up and force businesses to protect their networks. But the technology businesses, the Post continued, remain opposed to outright government regulation of cybersecurity practices.
