Security groups call for crisis coordination center

Two national task forces organized by the National Cyber Security Partnership called for a public awareness campaign, an early warning contact network and a national crisis coordination center to improve the nation’s responses to cyber vulnerabilities, threats and incidents. Created last December at the National Cyber Security Summit, the task forces released their recommendations today for improving the nation’s cybersecurity defenses. The National Cyber Security Partnership was formed to bring together private organizations and government agencies. No price tag was attached to the task forces’ suggestions, but establishing a national crisis coordination center by 2006 most likely would require legislation or an executive order. Guy Copeland, who led the Early Warning Task Force, said the center would coordinate threat analyses, warnings, research and responses for critical infrastructure-sector experts and federal, state and local officials. Copeland is vice president of information infrastructure advisory programs for Computer Sciences Corp.’s federal-sector business. Full Story