Whose job is it to protect and defend government networks? Sounds like a simple question, but it’s really not, said James Richberg, deputy national intelligence manager for cyber in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. In fact, the lack of a comprehensive national security initiative means that “something seemingly simple like guarding the network becomes so complicated to carry out,” he said last week at AFA’s CyberFutures Conference. He made the analogy to buying a plot of land and then going down to the hardware store to buy supplies to build a house without blueprints. “Why are we still playing whack-a-mole with cyber threats and trying to figure out fundamental questions such as whose job is it to guard our networks?” Richberg asked.
Earlier this week, the People’s Republic of China confirmed it is halting its nuclear arms control talks with the U.S., in retaliation for the U.S. continuing to sell arms to Taiwan. The move reinforces a “pattern of behavior” from Beijing, experts say.