Industry urged to help secure U.S. cyberspace

Speaking before a gathering of executives at the National Cyber Security Summit in Santa Clara, Calif., Ridge warned the United States' reliance on computers has made cyber targets attractive to terrorists, and that they are well aware that "a few lines of code could ultimately wreak as much havoc as a handful of bombs."

"Everything from electricity grids to banking transactions to telecommunications depends on secure, reliable cyber networks," Ridge said. "The continued success of protecting our cyberspace depends on the investment and commitment of each of you and the businesses you represent."

The private sector owns 85 per cent of the country's critical infrastructure, including the computer networks that underlie them, security department officials said. As such, the agency's cyber security division has sought to build a public-private sector alliance that will drive improvements in security practices in both the private and public sectors as well as among average computer users, while co-ordinating efforts to respond to cyber crises.

The agency's efforts are guided by the Bush administration's February "National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace," which set goals for government and industry, but rejected the idea of new government regulations.

Several members of Congress have since floated proposals to mandate minimum security requirements, including one by Congressman Adam Putnam that would require public companies to undergo third-party cyber-security audits and report results to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Assistant secretary Robert Liscouski, also speaking at the summit, promised to advocate for industry against regulation, but warned that if the private sector fails to step up to the responsibility, legislation will naturally follow.

"If that's what you want, I promise that's what you will get," he said.

In October, the department staged a cyber-war game that simulated an attack on computers, banks and utilities. The event showed communication was not smooth enough between the agencies, Ridge said.

The department is looking to improve crisis response, while studying how critical infrastructures are dependent on cyberspace, U.S. Cyber Security director Amit Yoran said.