Thursday, June 5, 2003

New National Cyber Security Division Sets Charter

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has created a new National Cyber Security Division (NCSD) to provide 24 x7 national cyberspace analysis and emergency warnings. Specifically, the mission of the NCSD is to:

  • identify risks and help reduce the vulnerabilities to government's cyber assets and coordinate with the private sector to identify and help protect America's critical cyber assets;



  • oversee a consolidated Cyber Security Tracking, Analysis, & Response Center (CSTARC), which will detect and respond to Internet events; track potential threats and vulnerabilities to cyberspace; and coordinate cyber security and incident response with federal, state, local, private sector and international partners; and



  • create, in coordination with other appropriate agencies, cyber security awareness and education programs and partnerships with consumers, businesses, governments, academia, and international communities.



The NCSD will have 60 employees. The division, which operates under the DHS' Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Directorate, builds upon the existing capabilities transferred to DHS from the former Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office, the National Infrastructure Protection Center, the Federal Computer Incident Response Center, and the National Communications System.
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interapp/press_release/press_release_0173.xml