back to article Obama cybersecurity order mandates better information sharing

President Obama's executive order on cybersecurity means security officers at critical infrastructure companies will get greater clearances from the government to access its information, says a Department of Homeland Security honcho. The "unprecedented" executive order, which Obama revealed during his State of the Union …

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  1. Don Jefe

    Mandatory

    They tried to roll this in with an earlier bill that made critical infrastructure companies also report back to the govt on new threat info.

    It was deemed to be bad for business and was binned though.

  2. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    For Fistsful of Dollars is Everything Possible and can Some Things be made Most Improbable

    The absolute bottom line? ..... You cannot secure cyberspace unless and until you can successfully use it to effectively attack and crash establishment operating systems stealthily/invisibly/anonymously.

    That then, however, raises the spectre of whether one would wish to preserve the status quo arrangements with provision and mentoring of defence against that which one would know to be an effective attack vector, or prefer to see operating systems changed fundamentally with others in lead positions of absolute sovereign power?

    To be or not to be a highly disruptive Virtual Pioneer or SMARTR Defender? That is the question and a novel enigma in search of an acceptable resolution which would benefit all.

    1. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

      Catch 22 ... Virtual Edition

      The problem that just keeps on giving :-) ...... http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2013/02/sequester_wikileaks.html ...... because systems either do not know of their weaknesses and easily exploited vulnerabilities or do know of them, cannot fix them because they are using them themselves for crazy personal gain and have them classified as top secret to discourage the spilling of information and intelligence on them.

  3. William Boyle
    Thumb Down

    Right...

    When will they learn that "better" != "more accurate"?

  4. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Thumb Down

    Welcome to the state of fear.

    Note there has been no significant terrorist activity in the US since 2001.

    Worried about budget cuts?

    1. 404
      Black Helicopters

      Re: Welcome to the state of fear.

      heh, remember the 'Peace Dividend' after Persian Gulf War Part 1?

      Feds are keeping the money this time.

      ;)

      P.S. I'm sure the DHS expects reciprocal access to your systems too.... Hmm... Ok... We're From The Government and We're Here To Help... scariest words known to free man.

    2. Wzrd1 Silver badge

      Re: Welcome to the state of fear.

      Blather. Go look up the 2008 cyber attack against the US government. The first incident cost one billion dollars, the second incident, weeks later, cost a classified amount that most certainly was more.

      I was right in the middle of that mess, though my installation remained uninfected. In spite of the best efforts of our users to correct that problem.

      Since then, there was also the 2008 cyber attack on Georgia by the Russians, including the RBN, coinciding with military action and more attacks by both the RBN, a few other Russian groups and trainloads of attacks from the PLA.

      Interestingly enough, the classified reports also included US corporations, many not even defense related, to have been compromised by the PLA and others.

      So, now some of that information will be released through the DHS.

      How comforting. Considering DHS's propensities, no data will be released unless it can be invisibly stripped or felt up.

      Because, JTF-GNO has the data, as does the NSA. Not the DHS.

      Considering how they do everything else they're involved with, I'm sure it'll be turned into a pig's breakfast.

  5. ElReg!comments!Pierre
    Coat

    Information wants to be free

    So now, the Chinese will now immediately what Al Qaeda is up to and vice versa...

    1. Wzrd1 Silver badge

      Re: Information wants to be free

      Bleh, they already know. The PLA has an incredibly efficient espionage group. Some are involved in installing new Chinese telephone switches...

      Or, they could simply ask Iran. Iran's still a bit sore over the overthrow of a democratic government and the Shah thing...

  6. Old Handle
    Meh

    I bet certain corners of the private sector will be especially keen to get their hands on those naked pictures of travelers TSA has been "accidentally" collecting.

    1. Wzrd1 Silver badge

      I returned home on leave from the war zone, departing from a secure US airbase and landing in D.C.

      My greeting home was a privilege previously only permitted for my wife, a complementary scrotum squeeze by a TSA agent.

      When I returned, I didn't go on leave for two years, retired and worked for a DoD contractor.

      The only reason I returned home was my elderly father was ill and ignoring his health, medicines and overall, not doing very well. The local hospital had installed a revolving door at the emergency department just for him.

      1. John Smith 19 Gold badge
        Unhappy

        "My greeting home was a privilege previously only permitted for my wife, a complementary scrotum squeeze by a TSA agent."

        Does anything make you feel quite like a suspect in your own country than that little greeting?

        And remember, it's complementary, it's not free (whose paying for the TSA?)

        TBF The question I've always wondered about DHS is as it was built (AFAIK) from 24 separate agencies, how do they even decide where to hold the office Christmas party?

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