Can cyberczar Howard Schmidt work fast enough?
Posted on | April 20, 2010 | add a comment
New U.S. Cyber Security Coordinator has been connecting with tech security vendors at events like the RSA 2010 conference in San Francisco earlier this spring. And he was out last weekend pressing the flesh with Congressman, academics and top students at the Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition. But otherwise Schmidt has been keeping a comparatively low public profile. In this guest blog post, Patricia Titus, the former CISO at the Transportation Security Administration within the Department of Homeland Security, and current CISO at Unisys Federal Systems, gives her take on the key role Schmidt should play in making the Internet safer.
By Patricia Titus
CISO, Unisys Federal Systems
I heard surprisingly little talk of the potential impacts of a cyber terrorist attack at the RSA conference in San Francisco. But with hundreds of federal security professionals present, the undertone certainly was there. I ran into the U.S. Cyber Security Coordinator Howard Schmidt, who seemed quite confident that the activities happening within the DC Beltway would address those concerns. His confidence was also visible as he addressed the masses during the conference.
I had a chance to briefly speak one-on-one with Mr. Schmidt and mentioned to him that he looked pretty “un-stressed†for a man in one of the most demanding position in DC. His response that things are getting done was not surprising to me. I’ve been impressed with Mr. Schmidt over the years and strongly believe that his background and his optimism will equate to success for the nation.
Recent attacks on the power grid in Brazil and other events have left most of us wondering if it’s too late to rebound from the cyber mess. But by making himself accessible to the security professionals attending this event, it’s become clear he knows where to go to get the help he needs.
I predict that we will soon see an increase in the cyber security coordinator’s activities to promote the public/private partnership. This will continue to build on efforts to improve transparency and getting the right information into the right hands to improve readiness, with communication flowing both ways between government and industry. Averting a catastrophe or minimizing its effects means calling in the right players at the right time, and Mr. Schmidt knows the players on both sides of the public/private divide.
Now the big question that remains is, can he work fast enough to avert a catastrophic attack against our nation, and can he keep the politics in DC from hampering his positive attitude?