Rep. Ciro Rodriguez
Congressman advocates for San Antonio as Cyber City, USA
(July 30, 2003)--Rep. Ciro Rodriguez, D-Texas, stressed the need for increased efforts to protect our nation from cyber-security threats at a July 24 hearing in Washington, D.C., before the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities.
The hearing, titled "Cyber Terrorism: the New Asymmetric Threat," focused on national security threats posed by cyber attacks on both government and private computer systems.
Rodriguez, a member of the subcommittee, questioned the witnesses about several of the cyber-security challenges that have been identified during the planning and execution of the Dark Screen exercise.
The Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security (CIAS) at The University of Texas at San Antonio in conjunction with the Air Intelligence Agency at Lackland Air Force Base have led efforts through the Dark Screen project to demonstrate San Antonio's capabilities to prevent, detect and respond to a cyber terrorist attack, and to communicate during such a crisis.
"Dark Screen and the ongoing partnerships between the government and private industry in San Antonio serve as a model for the rest of the nation," Rodriguez said. "The level of trust and the lines of communication must be established before, rather than after, a crisis has occurred. It is this type of collaboration between government and industry that will help to keep our nation safe and secure from cyber threats."
In response to questioning by the congressman, Scott Charney, chief security strategist of Microsoft Corp., noted that, in addition to laws and regulations which govern the sharing of information between government and industry, it is important that private industry and the federal government establish more informal, working relationships based on trust and mutual understanding.
Witness Robert Dacey, Department of Defense, stressed the need for clear, measurable performance and training standards for military members and reiterated the defense department's strong support for the affiliated university programs such as CIAS.
For more information, contact Fernando Cuevas at 202-225-1640.
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© The University of Texas at San Antonio, 2003