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GCN Home > 04/04/05 issue

Security wars move to new turf

By Wilson P. Dizard III, GCN Staff

Organized cybercrime calls for an organized response from DHS

Andy Purdy, acting director of the National Cyber Security Division and U.S. Computer Emergency Response Team since April 2003, is the Homeland Security Department’s lightning rod for preventing, responding to and recovering from electronic attacks.

He helped launch the center in his job as White House senior adviser for IT security and privacy, a position he held from April 2002 to April 2003 while on detail from the Sentencing Commission. At the commission, Purdy worked as chief deputy general counsel from 1987 to April 2002. He also was counsel to the Senate Impeachment Trial Committee from July 1989 to October 1989.

Purdy previously served as counsel to different congressional committees and was an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Purdy holds an undergraduate degree in government and economics from the College of William and Mary and a law degree from the University of Virginia. GCN senior writer Wilson P. Dizard III interviewed him by telephone.

GCN: Last year’s Topoff cyberattack exercise indicated some gaps in coordination between physical infrastructure protection agencies and cybersecurity agencies. What steps have been taken to fill these gaps, and how will the upcoming Topoff exercise reflect these changes?

Purdy: There will be a much bigger cybercomponent. At the most significant level, we have formed the National Cyber Response Coordination Group, which is part of the whole National Response Plan. So the National Response Plan has all the elements and processes that physical and cyber [infrastructure defenders] would have when it’s an incident of national significance.

The NCRCG [activates] during a physical crisis. The Interagency Incident Management Group is stood up, as is the National Cyber Response Coordination Group.

GCN: What indications have you received, if any, that criminal, terrorist and drug-smuggling groups are coordinating their cyberattack efforts? What countries are the biggest source of sophisticated cyberattacks on federal, state and local agencies?

More news on related topics: Homeland Security, IT Security



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