Hackers do a better job than the Feds

It's no surprise to any federal IT executive, but testimony this week nailed federal cybersecurity problems on the head by revealing that, yes, hackers do a far better job of sharing information than the feds. That, at least, is the assessment of the Department of Homeland Security's top cybersecurity official, and it's a very scary thought.

"Hackers, in some way, have remained better in information sharing than we in government have been, so that's an area of growth for us," Philip Reitinger, DHS deputy undersecretary, National Protection and Programs Directorate, told the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, at a hearing Monday on growing cybersecurity threats.

Reitinger said government is intent on inviting businesses to the table to develop policies that would help protect public and private databases. And they are working together on new ways to authenticate users without a username or password, an option that could become a major stumbling block for cyber criminals.

"I've seen incredible commitment from people in both the private sector and public sector," Reitinger said. "I believe we have a real opportunity here....We built the framework to work together. Now we need to drive toward outcomes. We need to worry less about having a partnership and more that we can achieve with the partnership."

For more on feds and business working on cybersecurity:
- check out this govinfosecurity.com article

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