Roles and responsibilities key to making cybersecurity work

Clarification of cybersecurity roles and responsibilities in the federal government remains the most crucial component of bills circulating in Congress, federal and industry executives said during a panel discussion on August 19. The most essential provisions included in the cybersecurity bills "would straighten out the authority issue for a more coordinated effort," said Pat Howard, chief information security officer at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. "Often agencies have the wherewithal to make decisions for themselves, but we're not bound together" in terms of priorities or processes, Howard said. "Someone has to manage that."