Skip Links

Network World

  • Social Web 
  • Email 
  • Close

Homeland Security adds cybersecurity czar

By Ellen Messmer , Network World , 09/19/2006

The Department of Homeland Security finally has appointed a cybersecurity czar: Greg Garcia will become assistant secretary for cybersecurity and telecommunications and will oversee the department’s National Cyber Security Division. The job had been vacant for more than a year.

Garcia has been vice president of information security policy and programs at the Arlington, Va.-based trade group Information Technology Association of America.

Statements supporting Garcia’s appointment were issued by the Information Technology-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (IT-ISAC) -- an industry forum in use for several years for exchanging information on vulnerabilities and threats -- as well as the more recent Information Technology Sector Coordinating Council (IT-SCC), which was created last February to focus on infrastructure protection, response and recovery.

"The IT-ISAC looks forward to enhancing the protection of critical infrastructures and homeland security through joint work with DHS and Greg to improve the response capabilities of the public/private sector,” said Philip Reitinger, vice president of IT-ISAC, and Microsoft’s director for Trustworthy Computing.

“The IT sector, through the Sector Coordinating Council and the ISAC, looks forward to working collaboratively with Greg to improve the IT and communications infrastructure,” said Guy Copeland, chair of the IT-SCC and a vice president and special assistant to the CEO at Computer Sciences Corp.

Other IT-SCC members include BellSouth, CA, Cisco, Entrust, IBM, McAfee, VeriSign and Verizon. Some security organizations, including the Center for Internet Security and the Cyber Security Industry Alliance, are also represented in IT-SCC.

In a prepared statement, DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff said that Garcia “brings the right mix of experience in government and the private sector to continue to strengthen our robust partnerships that are essential to this field.”

The cybersecurity job was created in July 2005 but remained unfilled until Garcia’s appointment today. In overseeing the National Cyber Security Division at DHS, Garcia is expected to help with the planning and coordination of cybersecurity defenses with government and industry.

Partner Content

Brilliantly simple security and control solutions for email, web and endpoint

www.sophos.com

Stopping data leakage

Learn how to exploit your current security investment to control the information that flows into, through and out of your network.

Download the white paper.

Why detection rates aren't enough

Evaluating endpoint security products is a time-consuming and daunting task. Learn the six critical questions you need to ask prospective vendors to get the right endpoint solution.

Download the white paper.

Applications: taking back control

Employees installing unauthorized applications is a growing threat to business security and productivity. Cost-effectively reduce this threat by integrating control into your malware protection.

Learn more today.

Comment
Login
Forgot your account info?
Add comment
Anonymous comments subject to approval. Register here for member benefits.
Have a NetworkWorld account? Log in here. Register now for a free account.

Videos

rssRss Feed

Whitepapers

Magic Quadrant for Application Delivery Controllers

Gartner summarizes its view on Application Delivery Controllers, evaluates strengths and weaknesses...

Vulnerability Management For Dummies

Download this concise book "Vulnerability Management for Dummies," to learn about the simple steps...

The ROI and TCO Benefits of Data Deduplication for Data Protection in the Enterprise

This paper examines and quantifies the costs and benefits of backup with deduplication storage as...

Webcasts

Transforming the Enterprise WAN Edge: Video from Cisco

Life on the edge of your WAN has changed dramatically. With the need to deliver advanced services,...

PoE Plus: Impact on the PoE Market

The standard for Power over Ethernet (PoE), IEEE Std. 802.3af(tm)-2003, advanced networking,...

Harnessing the power of communications to increase workplace performance

Due to the convergence of IT and telecommunications technologies, the business workplace has been...

Special Reports

The Evolution of Network Security

We have so many holes punched in our firewalls today that many industry insiders question the value...

The self-managed network

We aren't there yet, but advances in network and systems management tools are making it possible to...

Get instant email notification when white papers, webcasts, executive guides are added to our library. Stay informed and up-to-date with the latest on IT Technologies with Network World's Resource Alerts.