A new “cyber initiative” is underway that involves an expansion of DHS’s intrusion detection system – dubbed Einstein – to better collect, analyze and share aggregated network computer security information throughout the government and would mandating its broader use.
At a hearing on the cyber initiative, Evans told the House Homeland Security Committee the expansion would better enable agencies to quickly take corrective action and reduce risk to manageable levels.
She also said the Information System Security Line of Business is working across federal agencies and with GSA to look into additional security related SmartBUY and blanket purchase agreements for situational awareness and discovery tool sets as a way to augment security efforts.
The chair of the of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., and ranking member Susan Collins, R-Maine, at a recent classified hearing on the cyber initiative, vowed close oversight of the program, for which DHS plays a key role.
“The Department is still in the development stage of this new strategy, we have many questions about it,” Lieberman said.
“Our response to this threat must be nimble and must ensure that DHS and other government agencies have the tools they need to effectively meet this challenge,” said Collins, adding that oversight was needed to protect privacy rights.
In November $115 million of the fiscal 2008 DHS budget request was reallocated to fund the cyber initiative, according to the committee. It said the administration has also requested an additional $83 million for fiscal 2009, effectively tripling DHS’s cyber security budget.
According to the committee, the hearing included a threat assessment from DHS and the National Security Agency, followed by a discussion of the program’s operational details and the responsibilities of involved agencies.
