A group of eight senators recently introduced a bill that would establish cybersecurity civil support teams (CSTs) in the National Guard, mirroring National Guard teams set up to deploy their specialized expertise for dealing with incidents involving weapons of mass destruction.
The Cyber Warrior Act of 2013 would set up Cyber and Computer Network Incident Response Teams (CCNIRTs) in each of the 50 states and four US territories under the direction of the National Guard Bureau, much like the WMD-CSTs. Under the legislation, a governor or the secretary of defense could activate CCNIRTs, also known as "Cyber Guards," in response to a cyberattack.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), the leading sponsor of the bill, called the bill a means by which to call up cybersecurity experts to combat cyberthreats to US infrastructure.
"Cyberattacks are at the top of the threats that could affect every aspect of our national and economic security," Gillibrand said in a statement on March 22. "Terrorists could shut down electric grids in the middle of winter, zero-out bank accounts, or take down a stock exchange causing an unimaginable amount of disruption and harm. Meanwhile, our military and homeland cyberdefense forces are thousands short of the need identified by our leaders. We must ensure that we can recruit and retain talented individuals who can protect our nation's cybersecurity at home and abroad."
Most of the co-sponsors of the Cyber Warrior Act are Democrats, but two Republicans joined Gillibrand in introducing the legislation, including Sens. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and David Vitter (R-La.). Blunt hailed the concept as a means to make good use of civilian cybersecurity talent through the National Guard and to expand on the concept of National Guard cybersecurity units introduced by states such as Missouri, Delaware, Louisiana and Washington.
"As cyberattacks are something we're increasingly more and more concerned about, having people in the Guard who are also out there every day in the IT community would be an incredible way to increase access to skilled employees that the uniform forces may not be able to afford," Blunt said in a statement. "I believe Missouri could certainly be a prototype for what these units should look like nationwide."
Blunt first mentioned the idea of extending "cyberwarrior opportunities in the National Guard" to Gen. Keith Alexander, head of the National Security Agency and commander of US Cyber Command, during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on March 12, noting that Gillibrand, Vitter and he were contemplating the legislation.
Alexander revealed that Cyber Command already had been discussing cybersecurity support with National Guard departments in each state.
"Senator, we have National Guard folks on our staff; we are actively working that with the Guard. A few weeks ago, I sat down with all of the adjutant generals from all of the states and walked through how we can do this and how we train everyone to the same standards, active and Guard," Alexander testified.
The National Guard units in each state can provide the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security specialized assistance in response and recovery to cyberattacks, working with NSA and Cyber Command to complement the military activities of those organizations, Alexander said.
Leveraging the private sector experience of IT professionals through National Guard activation would provide a unique opportunity to assess cybersecurity skills in a catastrophe, lawmakers agreed.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) drew the parallel between the manner in which the National Guard already supports civil authorities in times of disaster and the way in which it could do so in the event of a cyberattack.
"The National Guard is always ready when natural or manmade disasters strike at home," Coons said in a statement. "The Cyber Warrior Act allows them to respond to cyberdisasters, too, an increasingly common threat to our country from organized crime, terrorists and even nation-states. The Cyber Warrior Act will ensure that in the first hours and days after a devastating cyberattack, our local responders will have the same support of the National Guard for response and recovery that they do when a hurricane strikes. Delaware's 166th Network Warfare Squadron is a model for what can be achieved when the Guard leverages the unique private-sector skills and experiences of its members, and this bill will help other states build similar capacity."
Governors also could tap the Cyber Guards to train state and local law enforcement and other responders in cybersecurity procedures and to provide support for cybersecurity best practices.
Under the Cyber Warriors Act, the secretary of defense would report on the means by which the Pentagon finds and hires cybersecurity experts. Alan Paller of the SANS Institute estimated the Department of Defense has about 10,000 less cybersecurity experts than it requires. (The Pentagon has about 2,000, lawmakers said.)
Other sponsors of the bill include Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), co-chair of the Senate National Guard Caucus, and Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.). Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), co-chair of the National Guard Caucus and a colonel in the South Carolina National Guard, has not yet signaled his support for the bill.
from : http://www.hstoday.us/single-article/senators-seek-national-guard-cybersecurity-civil-support-teams/8461dd77befa9b1506273a976c5c2b15.html
The Cyber Warrior Act of 2013 would set up Cyber and Computer Network Incident Response Teams (CCNIRTs) in each of the 50 states and four US territories under the direction of the National Guard Bureau, much like the WMD-CSTs. Under the legislation, a governor or the secretary of defense could activate CCNIRTs, also known as "Cyber Guards," in response to a cyberattack.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), the leading sponsor of the bill, called the bill a means by which to call up cybersecurity experts to combat cyberthreats to US infrastructure.
"Cyberattacks are at the top of the threats that could affect every aspect of our national and economic security," Gillibrand said in a statement on March 22. "Terrorists could shut down electric grids in the middle of winter, zero-out bank accounts, or take down a stock exchange causing an unimaginable amount of disruption and harm. Meanwhile, our military and homeland cyberdefense forces are thousands short of the need identified by our leaders. We must ensure that we can recruit and retain talented individuals who can protect our nation's cybersecurity at home and abroad."
Most of the co-sponsors of the Cyber Warrior Act are Democrats, but two Republicans joined Gillibrand in introducing the legislation, including Sens. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and David Vitter (R-La.). Blunt hailed the concept as a means to make good use of civilian cybersecurity talent through the National Guard and to expand on the concept of National Guard cybersecurity units introduced by states such as Missouri, Delaware, Louisiana and Washington.
"As cyberattacks are something we're increasingly more and more concerned about, having people in the Guard who are also out there every day in the IT community would be an incredible way to increase access to skilled employees that the uniform forces may not be able to afford," Blunt said in a statement. "I believe Missouri could certainly be a prototype for what these units should look like nationwide."
Blunt first mentioned the idea of extending "cyberwarrior opportunities in the National Guard" to Gen. Keith Alexander, head of the National Security Agency and commander of US Cyber Command, during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, on March 12, noting that Gillibrand, Vitter and he were contemplating the legislation.
Alexander revealed that Cyber Command already had been discussing cybersecurity support with National Guard departments in each state.
"Senator, we have National Guard folks on our staff; we are actively working that with the Guard. A few weeks ago, I sat down with all of the adjutant generals from all of the states and walked through how we can do this and how we train everyone to the same standards, active and Guard," Alexander testified.
The National Guard units in each state can provide the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security specialized assistance in response and recovery to cyberattacks, working with NSA and Cyber Command to complement the military activities of those organizations, Alexander said.
Leveraging the private sector experience of IT professionals through National Guard activation would provide a unique opportunity to assess cybersecurity skills in a catastrophe, lawmakers agreed.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) drew the parallel between the manner in which the National Guard already supports civil authorities in times of disaster and the way in which it could do so in the event of a cyberattack.
"The National Guard is always ready when natural or manmade disasters strike at home," Coons said in a statement. "The Cyber Warrior Act allows them to respond to cyberdisasters, too, an increasingly common threat to our country from organized crime, terrorists and even nation-states. The Cyber Warrior Act will ensure that in the first hours and days after a devastating cyberattack, our local responders will have the same support of the National Guard for response and recovery that they do when a hurricane strikes. Delaware's 166th Network Warfare Squadron is a model for what can be achieved when the Guard leverages the unique private-sector skills and experiences of its members, and this bill will help other states build similar capacity."
Governors also could tap the Cyber Guards to train state and local law enforcement and other responders in cybersecurity procedures and to provide support for cybersecurity best practices.
Under the Cyber Warriors Act, the secretary of defense would report on the means by which the Pentagon finds and hires cybersecurity experts. Alan Paller of the SANS Institute estimated the Department of Defense has about 10,000 less cybersecurity experts than it requires. (The Pentagon has about 2,000, lawmakers said.)
Other sponsors of the bill include Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), co-chair of the Senate National Guard Caucus, and Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.). Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), co-chair of the National Guard Caucus and a colonel in the South Carolina National Guard, has not yet signaled his support for the bill.
from : http://www.hstoday.us/single-article/senators-seek-national-guard-cybersecurity-civil-support-teams/8461dd77befa9b1506273a976c5c2b15.html
