Security Technology News - November 2009
New Cyber Wars Command Centre Opened
Posted by Security Technology News' International Correspondent on 02/11/2009 - 14:24:48
A new command and control centre has been opened to improve US national cybersecurity.
The National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) in Arlington, Virginia, is intended to be a more effective central location from which to fight the so-called ‘cyber wars' from threats posed against federal government and private sector organisations.
Bringing together civilian government organisations and the private sector, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says the NCCIC will provide "a co-ordinated and flexible system" that will serve as a "central repository" to "enhance [the] ability to effectively mitigate risks and respond to threats."
Cyber Attacks
The US government's websites suffer from daily cyber attacks from a variety of threats, according to the Department for Homeland Security, ranging from foreign governments to teenage hackers. In May 2009, President Barack Obama announced that he would name a so-called ‘cyber czar' to defend against attacks on US communications and IT systems.
The high-security NCCIC will be a key component in US cybersecurity, according to Napolitano. The facility includes giant wall-mounted video screens displaying current threats and associated data. The US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), National Coordinating Center for Communications (NCC) and National Cybersecurity Center (NCSC) are all located at NCCIC alongside private sector companies such as telecommunications firms.
National Cybersecurity
Having made national cybersecurity a top priority earlier in 2009, President Obama has recently signed off the Homeland Security budget for the next year that includes $397 million allocated to identifying and preventing cyber attacks.
Napolitano says NCCIC is ready to make a telling contribution to fighting the ‘cyber wars' battle. She said: "This will be a 24/7, 365-day-a-year facility to improve our national efforts to prepare and respond to threats and incidents affecting critical information technology and communications infrastructure."
Source _ Security International's US Correspondent
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