Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., will again bring cybersecurity legislation to the Senate floor when Congress returns in November after the election. The move follows a GOP rallying cry to let Congress handle cybersecurity rather than President Barack Obama issuing a cybersecurity executive order, which is in draft form (WID Oct 3 p6). Bringing cybersecurity to a vote also gives Congress another chance to hash out a compromise on the issue, a Senate aide said. But a former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official during George W. Bush’s presidency said Reid’s move may not be a sincere attempt to get a new deal. Obama is right to “examine all means at his disposal” for confronting cyberthreats, Reid said in a news release Saturday.
Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., will again bring cybersecurity legislation to the Senate floor when Congress returns in November after the election. The move follows a GOP rallying cry to let Congress handle cybersecurity rather than President Barack Obama issuing a cybersecurity executive order, which is in draft form (CD Oct 3 p13). Bringing cybersecurity to a vote also gives Congress another chance to hash out a compromise on the issue, a Senate aide said. But a former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official during George W. Bush’s presidency said Reid’s move may not be a sincere attempt to get a new deal. Obama is right to “examine all means at his disposal” for confronting cyberthreats, Reid said in a news release Saturday.
The U.S. is in a “pre-9/11 moment” where immediate action is required to secure its critical computer network infrastructure from a potentially devastating attack, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told New York business leaders Thursday evening (http://xrl.us/bntuyw). The former director of the CIA said that while Congress dithers on cybersecurity legislation the White House has “no choice” but to consider issuing an executive order to “move as far as we can in the meantime.”
The U.S. is in a “pre-9/11 moment” where immediate action is required to secure its critical computer network infrastructure from a potentially devastating attack, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told New York business leaders Thursday evening (http://xrl.us/bntuyw). The former director of the CIA said that while Congress dithers on cybersecurity legislation the White House has “no choice” but to consider issuing an executive order to “move as far as we can in the meantime.”
The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials and the National Emergency Number Association jointly released draft educational materials for smartphone app developers on E-911 system capabilities and limitations (http://xrl.us/bnteaw). “Due to the increase of smartphone apps entering the market involving public safety and emergency communications, APCO felt that there was a strong need to better inform current and potential app developers of the systems’ capabilities,” APCO said. “Many of these new apps display a high degree of creativity and innovation, but they need to take into consideration the E911 technical architecture as well as the operations of public safety answering points which may influence these product offerings."
Former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Tom Ridge said he’s “skeptical” the U.S. Chamber of Commerce would support the administration’s proposed cybersecurity executive order. “My sense tells me that it will probably go back to the traditional regulatory mode,” said Ridge Thursday at a cybersecurity event hosted by the U.S. Chamber. Ridge, who is now chairman of the Chamber’s national security task force, said he plans to lobby Congress for legislative fixes if President Barack Obama introduces an order.
Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said he’s “skeptical” the U.S. Chamber of Commerce would support the administration’s proposed cybersecurity executive order. “My sense tells me that it will probably go back to the traditional regulatory mode,” said Ridge Thursday at a cybersecurity event hosted by the U.S. Chamber. Ridge, who is now chairman of the Chamber’s national security task force, said he plans to lobby Congress for legislative fixes if President Barack Obama introduces an order.
Banks, telcos, ISPs and national and local governments held an EU-wide cyberattack exercise Thursday to see how they would respond to sustained attacks on the computer systems and public websites of major European financial institutions and markets. The organizations faced more than 1,200 separate cyberincidents, including more than 30,000 emails, during a simulated distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) campaign, the European Commission said. It’s Europe’s largest-ever cybersecurity test and follows a more-limited 2010 exercise, it said. At the same time, the EU’s top foreign affairs and security official urged participants at a Budapest, Hungary, conference to agree on global cyberspace behavioral norms.
Banks, telcos, ISPs and national and local governments held an EU-wide cyberattack exercise Thursday to see how they would respond to sustained attacks on the computer systems and public websites of major European financial institutions and markets. The organizations faced more than 1,200 separate cyberincidents, including more than 30,000 emails, during a simulated distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) campaign, the European Commission said. It’s Europe’s largest-ever cybersecurity test and follows a more-limited 2010 exercise, it said. At the same time, the EU’s top foreign affairs and security official urged participants at a Budapest, Hungary, conference to agree on global cyberspace behavioral norms.
Bedford County now has access to Smart911, the third county in Tennessee to feature the emergency service, Rave Mobile Safety announced Tuesday (http://xrl.us/bnsbcq). Smart911 allows people to create free profiles online as part of a national database, intended to be a “proactive” step in providing information to emergency dispatchers, according to the company. When a person calls 911, the dispatchers immediately can see all the personal information presented in the profiles, it said. Bedford County E911 Director Phillip Noel emphasized how 911 centers normally receive little personal information from callers in distress, “especially if [the call] is made on a mobile phone,” he said in a statement. The safety profiles can be created at www.smart911.com and include medical conditions, photos and a listing of relatives, and will “be kept confidential” until a 911 call, Rave Mobile Safety said. The Smart911 service is available in over 300 municipalities across 23 states, it said. The company has issued several announcements about new launches throughout September.