WASHINGTON-Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has chosen Amit Yoran as cyber security czar, a move some in Congress and industry believe was long overdue.
Yoran, who will serve as director of the National Cyber Security Division of the Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Office at the Department of Homeland Security, was most recently vice president for managed security services at Symantec Corp. Before that, Yoran founded Riptech Inc, an information security management firm, and worked at the Department of Defense.
Ridge also announced the creation of a new Computer Emergency Response Team for cyber security. The U.S-CERT will work in conjunction with Carnegie Mellon’s new cyber security laboratory.
“This new center for cyber security is a key element to our national strategy to combat terrorism and protect our critical infrastructure. The recent cyber attacks such as the Blaster worm and the SoBig virus highlight the urgent need for an enhanced computer emergency response program that coordinates national efforts to cyber incidents and attacks,” said Ridge.
In response to criticism about delays in naming a new government cyber security czar, Robert Liscouski, assistant secretary for infrastructure protection at DHS, testifying today before a select homeland security subcommittee, said: “We’ll only have one chance at getting this right.”
Liscouski said a cyber security summit will be held this fall.
