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THE PRESIDENT’S CYBER CZAR LEADS THE CHARGE AGAINST A NEW BREED OF FOE by Michael A. Fletcher


One on One mfletcher@ccgmag.com


that, Schmidt was chief security of- ficer at Microsoft. He also worked as vice president and chief informa- tion security officer at eBay. Schmidt served in the Air Force from 1967 to 1983 in various roles, both active-duty and civilian, and headed the computer exploita- tion team at the FBI’s National Drug Intelligence Center in the 1990s.


Just before joining the Obama administration, Schmidt was president of the nonprofit Informa- tion Security Forum, a 300-mem- ber organization of corporate and public-sector organizations working to resolve cyber crime and cyber security issues. In his White House role,


Howard A. Schmidt Cyber Security Coordinator for the Obama Administration


Schmidt is charged with orchestrat- ing cyber security policy across the federal government at a time when experts believe the threats against them are multiplying. Schmidt’s appointment came as the Defense Department launched a new “cyber-command” unit, which is led by National Secu- rity Agency Director Gen. Keith B. Alexander. The appointment also coincided with the Department of Homeland Security’s stepped up ef- fort to protect the nation’s civilian computer networks.


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The burst of activity reflects the government’s increasing con- cern about cyber security threats. Months before choosing Schmidt,


resident Barack Obama picked Howard A. Schmidt to be his cyber czar less than a year ago, naming the vet- eran official to an increasingly crucial national security post that coordinates the government’s strategy for


protecting the nation’s computer systems. For Schmidt, a 40-year veteran of law enforcement, the


military, and corporate security, the role was hardly new. He had served as a cyber advisor for President George W. Bush. Before


6 USBE&IT I WINTER 2010


President Obama declared the nation’s digital networks a “strategic national asset” and deemed their protection a national security “priority.”


Computer attacks can wreck economic havoc, or even shut down power grids—national security havoc that could be wrought by foreign countries, terrorists, common criminals or even pranksters.


In designating the nation’s computer networks a national www.blackengineer.com


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