Cybersecurity Conference Considers Challenges; Debates Need for New Solutions

Speaking at a conference on cybersecurity hosted by the Department of Commerce July 27, one expert argued that when it comes to cybersecurity threats, "we don't need a new strategy."

The speaker, Philip Reitinger of the Department for Homeland Security, made the observation in the introduction to his remarks on how combating cybersecurity might be accomplished in the current climate. "Heaven help us from a new strategy! We don't need a new strategy. We need to evolve our strategy," Reitinger said. "We can't let the urgent completely trump the strategic and critical. We all depend upon an Internet ecosystem that is fundamentally insecure. That doesn't mean it's bad, but it's designed in a way for resiliency but not necessarily in a way with security built in." Reitinger's remarks drew laughs from his fellow panelists Cita Furlani, Vint Cerf, Michael Barrett and Ken Silva in what was the fourth and final panel of the day-long conference. The prospect of a "new strategy" for dealing with cybersecurity was, Reitinger's speech excepted, cited as a necessity by almost every panelist and speaker at the event. One persistent theme that emerged from several speakers' remarks was the market failure involved in creating incentives for consumers to care about cybersecurity.