Fergie's Tech Blog

Report: Government's Cyber Security Plan Is Riddled With New Spying Programs

Ryan Singel writes on Threat Level:

Major elements of the Bush administration's proposed $17 billion "cyber security" initiative have little to do with protecting government networks, and a lot to do with spying, according to a budget report released by the Senate Armed Services Committee this week.

The so-called National Cyber Security Initiative is also wrapped in unnecessary secrecy, and would spend billions on unproven, embryonic technology, and possibly illegal or ill-advised projects, according to the analysis -- which is part of a broad look at the proposed 2009 defense budget.

"[S]ome of the projects support foreign intelligence collection and analysis generally rather than the cyber security mission particularly," the report concludes. "That is not to say that the proposed projects are not worthwhile, but rather that what will be achieved for the more than $17 billion planned by the administration to secure the government's networks is less than what might be expected."

posted by Fergie @ 5/15/2008 02:48:00 PM