Five Years After 9/11: Federal Agencies' Cybersecurity Readiness Concerns

It has been five years since hijackers slammed jetliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, killing nearly 3,0000 people, but nine out of 10 information security professionals believe federal government agencies are unprepared should the terrorist attacks turn to cyberspace. According to a poll conducted by vulnerability and risk management provider nCircle of 395 IT executives, 85 percent believe federal government is not ready for a cyber version of Sept. 11, 2001.

"I would fully agree with that," said Paul Kurtz, executive director of the Cyber Security Industry Alliance. "We have no leadership at DHS (U.S. Department of Homeland Security) right now. We do not have a clear path for the roles and responsibilities, legal issues and policy issues that would surface during such a crisis." Earlier this year, during the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) grading of network security postures, 24 federal agencies received an average of D+, with seven agencies outright failing.

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