The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is finalizing a plan to open a satellite office in Silicon Valley while the department’s cybersecurity center continues to progress, Jeh Johnson, the Secretary of Homeland Security, said on Tuesday.
The office is meant to serve as another point of contact with private industry as DHS advances cybersecurity activity. “We want to strengthen critical relationships in Silicon Valley and ensure that the government and the private sector benefit from each other’s research and development,” Johnson said at the RSA Conference in San Francisco, Calif.
The department is also seeking to attract some of the workforce to move to Washington.
“The new United States Digital Service provides the option for talent to flow and rotate between private industry and our government teams,” Johnson said. “This will build capacity on all fronts. I hope some of you listening will consider a tour of service for your country.”
Johnson highlighted National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) updates and the search for a new director. The NCCIC deployed last week the capability to automate publication of cyber threat indicators in a machine-readable format. The NCCIC is a round-the-clock cyber watch center for the nation within DHS.
The milestone was completed five weeks ahead of deadline. The department is currently sharing indicators with an initial set of companies and is in the process of adding others, Johnson said.
DHS is further expanding NCCIC’s information sharing to provide near real-time automated information sharing to the private sector.
“I have directed our team to go full throttle on this,” Johnson said. “As you know, cybersecurity is all about speed.”
The NCCIC later this year will also be able to begin to accept cyber threat indicators from the private sector in automated near real-time format as well.
Johnson also noted he is seeking a new NCCIC director.
“I am personally participating in efforts to find a recognized all-star in cybersecurity, and I believe we are going to hire a person soon,” he said.
The reporting relationships are being realigned as well. The NCCIC director now has a direct reporting and information sharing line to the secretary.
Johnson reiterated President Barack Obama’s recent executive actions on cybersecurity, such as the executive order issues earlier this month allowing sanctions of foreign hackers (Defense Daily, April 2), the February direction to create a Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center (Defense Daily, Feb. 26), and an executive order directing Johnson to encourage the further development of private Information Sharing and Analysis Organizations (ISAO) (Defense Daily, Feb. 13).
He concluded by asking for their understanding on encryption.
“The current course we are on, toward deeper and deeper encryption in response to the demands of the marketplace, is one that presents real challenges for those in law enforcement and national security,” Johnson said.
Understanding the importance encryption brings to privacy, Johnson said a law enforcement inability to access encrypted information poses public safety challenges.
“We in government know that a solution to this dilemma must take full account of the privacy rights and expectations of the American public, the full account of the state of the technology, and the cybersecurity of American businesses,” he said. “We need your help to find the solution.”