CIOs voice cyberterrorism worries

State CIOs say their No. 1 concern is cyberterrorism and that the federal government isn't paying enough attention to it.

"It's a serious issue and becoming a lesser issue for the feds," said Thomas Jarrett, president of the National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO). "They seem to want to focus on the 'boots and suits' approach to national security."

His remarks came at the Northeast regional meeting of the National Association of State Telecommunications Directors, which includes state IT executives, as well.

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State CIOs say their No. 1 concern is cyberterrorism and that the federal government isn't paying enough attention to it.

"It's a serious issue and becoming a lesser issue for the feds," said Thomas Jarrett, president of the National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO). "They seem to want to focus on the 'boots and suits' approach to national security."

His remarks came at the Northeast regional meeting of the National Association of State Telecommunications Directors, which includes state IT executives, as well.

About half of NASCIO's members spent last Wednesday on Capitol Hill leafleting their representatives with their list of priorities, topped by the need for technology to block malicious exploits.

Shoring up state networks with anti-virus, intrusion-detection/prevention and other security gear has to contend with other demands on government, Jarrett said. The absence of a disastrous cyberattack to date makes it difficult to generate support. "If it's healthcare vs. some new boxes I want to put in, I can tell you what's going to win," he said.

Jarrett, who is CIO for Delaware, said IT departments in his state log 2,000 virus and spyware attempts per day.

The funding problem is complicated by the fact that state CIOs are generally appointed by the governor, and that when a new governor is elected, a new CIO is appointed. This makes continuity difficult.

"It ought to be a cabinet-level position because we need a seat at the table, but it's caught up in a lot of politics," Jarrett said. "We need processes that aren't so tied to the person at the top."

With CIOs changing fairly frequently, setting priorities and keeping up pressure for funding is a constant struggle. Jarrett said he is the second-longest serving of state CIOs at three and a half years. Because of seven new governorships, seven state CIOs have been replaced since November, and another six CIO slots are vacant, Jarrett said.

The job is also plagued by mid-term defections."CIOs come in with outstanding ideas only to become frustrated by the political process," he said.

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