Despite the Challenges, ‘Let’s Put Our Trust in Schmidt’

It will prove difficult for Schmidt to coordinate the national cybersecurity effort with little defined authority, particularly with regards to the more vocal and powerful forces in the Intelligence Community and the Department of Homeland Security, both major stakeholders in the present cyber security landscape.

There are a number of bills before Congress, some of which attempt to outline Schmidt’s authority. Some want to place the authority within the Department of Homeland Security. Other congressmen want to make Schmidt answerable to Congress by giving the Senate the responsibility of approving the president’s choice. One of the 18 bills before Congress calls for the creation of an Office of the National Cybersecurity Adviser within the Executive Branch, with Schmidt at its head where he “will serve as the lead official on all cyber matters, coordinating with the Intelligence Community, as well as the civilian agencies.”

According to Kwon, Schmidt “can really establish his own authority… he’ll have to work with the president and with Congress to have one or both of them establish his authority for him.” Some of the bills presently before Congress seek to give Schmidt significant authority that will allow him to more effectively coordinate the many players involved in cybersecurity.

How Schmidt’s authority is defined in 2010 will have a significant impact on his ability to accomplish his goals.

International cooperation

Given the fluid nature of cyberspace, common principles need to be established to provide better security across vast interconnected networks. However, such cooperation on an international scale has presently proven rare.

Despite “Operation Phish Phry,” in which around 100 suspects in the U.S. and Egypt were arrested for cyber crime activities, the ability of the U.S. to secure international cooperation has been minimal. Late last year, the U.S. and Russia began discussing cybersecurity issues, but progress was slow because both sides were discussing different issues. Russia wanted to discuss the militarization of cyberspace, while the U.S. wanted to secure Russian help in arresting and prosecuting cyber criminals, who often use Russia as a safe haven to launch attacks.

There is a lack of common agreement around the threats in cyberspace, as each nation seeks to cater to its national interest. There is not even common agreement on the definitions of words used when discussing cybersecurity (rendering international agreements useless), let alone agreement on what areas should be addressed in international discussions according to Neill Sciarrone, former special assistant to the president for cyber and information sharing.

‘Let’s Put Our Trust in Schmidt’

Lt. Gen. Harry Raduege

If Schmidt is able to surmount these obstacles, he will have more than vindicated President Obama’s long delayed search for an effective cyber coordinator. Though it seems an impossible task, if Schmidt can manage to establish his authority among the numerous voices and secure the cooperation in the domestic and international arenas, the U.S. may be able to avert the ‘cyber Pearl Harbor’ that many experts fear.

Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Harry Raduege, chairman of the Deloitte Center for Cyber Innovation and the former director of the Defense Information Systems Agency and manager of the national communications system, said, “Our nation needs no less than the best from the president, his administration and Howard Schmidt in helping our nation meet the critical challenges we face with national security and economic stability in cyberspace.”

Despite these difficult challenges, Schmidt is certainly competent and will prove his worth in the months to come. Sciarrone recently said she thinks “that Howard is up to the task.”

Whatever the coming months will bring in terms of opportunities and challenges, expectations are high and Schmidt is certainly the best man for the job.

Related posts:

1. Cyber Coordinator Named (Finally)
2. Experts Respond to Appointment of Schmidt as Cyber Coordinator
3. Challenges of International Cybersecurity
4. Cyber Expert Advocates Moving Cyber Defense Forward in 2010
5. ‘We don’t need a eunuch’ as Cyber Czar says Rep. David Wu

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