CSO

In the opening address at the Black Hat Federal security conference in Arlington, VA, Paul E. Kurtz urged the nation to begin a new discussion on the proper role of government in regulating and defending cyberspace. Kurtz said a clear command and control structure was needed to protect our critical information infrastructure and recover from major Internet disruptions.

The speech was especially significant since Paul Kurtz recently served as the cybersecurity adviser on President Obama's transition team. Kurtz has also served on National and Homeland Security councils under presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

Bill Jackson at Defensesystems.com outlined the major points from Kurtz's presentation. Here are a few highlights:

“To those who object to the militarization of cyberspace, I would say, it’s too late: We’re already there,” Kurtz said.

"He said the United States should apply some of the lessons learned during the Cold War to cyber conflicts now simmering online. Cyber warfare is not as simple as the bipolar confrontation between the Western democracies and the Soviet bloc, Kurtz said. It is multilateral standoff involving multiple nations, shadowy organizations, and individual hackers and criminals."

 While we wait for the outcome of the new administration's 60-day cybersecurity review, this speech offers some new ideas and thoughts that should be closely examined. Many from the private sector will likely disagree with elements of Kurtz's proposals, but they deserve serious consideration and public debate.

While I am a proponent of state government rights, it is clear that more needs to be done with state and local governments across the nation regarding the protection of cybersecurity networks and information assets. New command and control structures will likely be needed as well - especially for emergencies.

The bigger questions arise with the private sector and how this will work with the Internet and other countries.

What are your thoughts on Paul Kurtz's speech?