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Unknowable Emergencies Drive Cybersecurity Planners to Wargame Responses
As lawmakers consider giving the president emergency powers in case of an online attack, many in the field are offering scenarios for how to define a cybersecurity emergency and how far the government should reach to contain an attack.

FOXNews.com
Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Senate Bill Would Give President Emergency Control of Internet

Is Move By Obama to Turn Off the Internet In a Cyber-Emergency a Power Grab?
As lawmakers consider giving the president emergency powers in case of an online attack, many in the field are offering scenarios for how to define a cybersecurity emergency and how far the government should reach to contain an attack.

The Cybersecurity Act of 2009, sponsored by Sens. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, envisions the president taking emergency control of the Internet, but backers say it's not about a takeover, but about directing a coordinated, public-private response.

The bill "applies specifically to the national response to a severe attack or natural disaster. This particular legislative language is based on longstanding statutory authorities for wartime use of communications networks," said Rockefeller spokeswoman Jessica Tice.

An earlier version of the bill was revised this summer after critics called it unworkable. A newer version would allow the president to "declare a cybersecurity emergency and order the limitation or shutdown of Internet traffic to and from any compromised federal government or United States critical infrastructure information system or network."

The newer version replaces some of the language to allow the president to "direct the national response" to a cybersecurity emergency that the president would declare, said Greg Nojeim, senior counsel for the Center for Democracy and Technology, a group that wants the Internet to remain open, innovative and free.

That's an improvement over the first draft, he said.

"The original version said that the president would have the power to shut down or limit Internet traffic in an emergency to a critical infrastructure. That language is actually dropped," Nojeim told FOX News.

But the bill is unclear about how broad the president's power is. And what's more troubling to some is the application of emergency responses used in other situations to an area that has never faced that kind of security test. .................................>>>>.......................>>>>.................http://www.foxnews.com/politic.....ses/?test=latestnews