Program Will Help Collect, Compare, Analyze, and Share Security Information

The National Cyber Security Division (NCSD) of the Department of Homeland Security is working on an automated process for collecting, comparing, analyzing, and sharing computer security information across the federal government. The goal of the Einstein pilot project is to improve awareness of and protection against cyberattacks on federal information networks. The NCSD will analyze network and gateway traffic flow patterns but will not monitor government systems or look inside networks. The publicprivate U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) will handle the analyses.

Federal Aviation Administration CIO Daniel Mehan says the purpose of Einstein is to “assist in creating near-real-time information-sharing that can ultimately be leveraged to protect the entire national infrastructure from cyber threat.”

One official from the Homeland Security inspector general’s office says the initiative is in line with the National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, and that it might uncover cyberthreats not previously noticed. Analysis of attacks can establish network flow and determine patterns that take the entire federal government into account, not just a single agency. Another official says the program will require little investment from agencies being analyzed.

—Source: National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center