Homeland Security chief says cybersecurity is a civilian problem, not a war

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano asserted cybersecurity is a civilian domain, not a military battlefield or private sector jurisdiction, as some critics of federal cyber policy have argued.

"Some categorize the challenge as one for the market, or a looming war," she said. "In my view, cyberspace is fundamentally a civilian space, and government has a role to help protect it, in partnership with the private sector and across the globe ... both the market and the battlefield analogies are the wrong ones to use." New cyber threats, such as intrusive monitoring of Internet users and the Stuxnet worm, which can cripple computer operating power grids, have prompted calls for the U.S. military to design a cyber defense plan and for industry to give consumers "do not track" options on Web browsers. But DHS, by mandate, must be involved in securing the critical infrastructure of the country, which includes the information technology networks underpinning every aspect of modern life, Sec Napolitano said.