NSA chief wants to protect 'critical' private networks
The head of the National Security Agency said today that the U.S. military should have the authority to defend "critical networks" from malware and other disruptions.
Gen. Keith Alexander, who is also the head of the Pentagon's U.S. Cyber Command, said at the RSA Conference here that the NSA's "active defenses" designed to defend military networks should be extended to civilian government agencies, and then key private-sector networks as well.
"I believe we have the talent to build a cyber-secure capability that protects our civil liberties and our privacy," Alexander said. Alexander's comments come only two days after William Lynn, the deputy secretary of defense, offered the same suggestion. In an essay last year, Lynn likened active defenses to a cross between a "sentry" and a "sharpshooter" that can also "hunt within" a network for malicious code or an intruder who managed to penetrate the network's perimeter.
