Independent Commission to Examine Cyber Security for the 44th President

Rep. Jim Langevin (Dem.-RI) and Rep. Michael McCaul (Rep.-TX) along with The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) have announced the formation of a bipartisan Commission on Cyber Security for the 44th Presidency – the administration that will take office in January 2009.  This nonpartisan Commission will develop recommendations for a comprehensive strategy for organizing and prioritizing efforts to secure America’s computer networks and critical infrastructure.  Rep. Langevin is the chair and Rep. McCaul the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology of the Homeland Security Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. Scott Charney, corporate vice president for trustworthy computing at Microsoft and retired Navy Admiral Bobby Inman, Lyndon B. Johnson National Policy Chair at the University of Texas at Austin will co-chair the Commission.

The Commission promises to conduct the most comprehensive review of the issues since the release of the National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace in February 2003.  The drafters of the 2003 cybersecurity strategy have been widely criticized for the lack of execution upon the recommendations in the plan, especially given the Federal resources that have been applied to the formation of the National Cyber Security Division in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  The EDUCAUSE/Internet2 Security Task Force prepared the Higher Education Contribution to the National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace and expects to work closely with the new Commission to report on both the progress and remaining challenges to addressing cybersecurity at our nation’s colleges and universities.

Scott Charney, corporate vice president for trustworthy computing at Microsoft and retired Navy Admiral Bobby Inman, Lyndon B. Johnson National Policy Chair at the University of Texas at Austin will co-chair the Commission.  

A press release concerning the Commission is available from the offices of Rep. Langevin and Rep. McCaul.