Congress, administration grapple with cyber defense authority

The head of the military unit overseeing cyberspace reaffirmed that the US Cyber Command cannot monitor civilian networks, noting its powerlessness over systems outside the .mil domain might require congressional action. "I do not have the authority to look at what's going on in other government sectors, nor what would happen to critical infrastructures. That means that I can't stop [an assault on nonmilitary networks]," Cyber Command chief Gen. Keith Alexander said during remarks at a University of Rhode Island symposium on the increasing threat of cyberattacks. The division of responsibility between the Pentagon and the Homeland Security Department is at the center of a debate on cybersecurity legislation. DHS currently keeps an eye on vulnerabilities in the .gov and other civilian domains, while the Defense Department has visibility only into .mil networks. The White House has yet to weigh in on how to empower Defense to avert a potential cyberwar without running astray of civil rights and privacy laws. But Alexander offered hints about what the Pentagon might be pushing the Obama administration to consider.