SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Defense Companies Cash in on Gov't Hyped 'Cyber-Security' Threat
Contractors predict "dozens" of private companies will soon have access to personal cyber data
Mar 13, 2013
Amidst the daily hype over the increased threat of cyber attacks and enhanced need for internet security, private defense companies are cashing in on the new stream of defense dollars and trove of "classified" personal cyber data.
On Tuesday, the nation's top intelligence officials, testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that--for the first time--the threat of "computer-launched foreign assaults on U.S. infrastructure" outranked terrorism as the greatest worldwide threat.
As FireDogLake's DS Wright said, "now that the government has decided to stimulate the cybersecurity market Washington's perennial parasites want a piece of the action."
Bloomberg News reports that within the past two weeks security contractors Lockheed Martin and Raytheon have signed an agreement under the Department of Homeland Security's Enhanced Cybersecurity Services program providing new revenue streams and, more notably, unparalleled access to personal information classified as "U.S. government data."
Under President Barack Obama's Feb. 12 cybersecurity executive order, DHS is now authorized to provide these contractors with "intelligence" gathered from commercial service providers, including personal internet records and email content. Bloomberg reports, "Obama and U.S. officials have said sharing classified threat data with companies is essential to help prevent cyber-attacks that could cause deaths or economic disruption."
According to their reporting, private contractors are heralding the dispersion of personal data under the protective umbrella of "security":
There could eventually be dozens of commercial service providers from a variety of industries, Bruce McConnell, cybersecurity counselor at the Homeland Security Department, said in an interview. "I think you will see other companies get into this business," he said. [...]
The broader dissemination of cyber-threat data "in a controlled fashion is a good thing" and can "help assure that more companies have access to information for protecting their systems," said Jessica Herrera-Flanigan, a partner with Monument Policy Group, a lobbying firm, and former Democratic staff director of the House Homeland Security Committee.
In addition to Raytheon and Lockheed, telecommunication companies CenturyLink and AT&T have also signed on as approved providers.
This news comes as the controversial Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) appears before Congress in three separate hearings this week about the Act and computer and network security, in general.
Civil liberties advocates are calling on their representatives to oppose the legislation, citing gross privacy violations and concerns over the "liberal" sharing of "very sensitive and personal information" between the government and private contractors.
_____________________
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
Amidst the daily hype over the increased threat of cyber attacks and enhanced need for internet security, private defense companies are cashing in on the new stream of defense dollars and trove of "classified" personal cyber data.
On Tuesday, the nation's top intelligence officials, testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that--for the first time--the threat of "computer-launched foreign assaults on U.S. infrastructure" outranked terrorism as the greatest worldwide threat.
As FireDogLake's DS Wright said, "now that the government has decided to stimulate the cybersecurity market Washington's perennial parasites want a piece of the action."
Bloomberg News reports that within the past two weeks security contractors Lockheed Martin and Raytheon have signed an agreement under the Department of Homeland Security's Enhanced Cybersecurity Services program providing new revenue streams and, more notably, unparalleled access to personal information classified as "U.S. government data."
Under President Barack Obama's Feb. 12 cybersecurity executive order, DHS is now authorized to provide these contractors with "intelligence" gathered from commercial service providers, including personal internet records and email content. Bloomberg reports, "Obama and U.S. officials have said sharing classified threat data with companies is essential to help prevent cyber-attacks that could cause deaths or economic disruption."
According to their reporting, private contractors are heralding the dispersion of personal data under the protective umbrella of "security":
There could eventually be dozens of commercial service providers from a variety of industries, Bruce McConnell, cybersecurity counselor at the Homeland Security Department, said in an interview. "I think you will see other companies get into this business," he said. [...]
The broader dissemination of cyber-threat data "in a controlled fashion is a good thing" and can "help assure that more companies have access to information for protecting their systems," said Jessica Herrera-Flanigan, a partner with Monument Policy Group, a lobbying firm, and former Democratic staff director of the House Homeland Security Committee.
In addition to Raytheon and Lockheed, telecommunication companies CenturyLink and AT&T have also signed on as approved providers.
This news comes as the controversial Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) appears before Congress in three separate hearings this week about the Act and computer and network security, in general.
Civil liberties advocates are calling on their representatives to oppose the legislation, citing gross privacy violations and concerns over the "liberal" sharing of "very sensitive and personal information" between the government and private contractors.
_____________________
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
Amidst the daily hype over the increased threat of cyber attacks and enhanced need for internet security, private defense companies are cashing in on the new stream of defense dollars and trove of "classified" personal cyber data.
On Tuesday, the nation's top intelligence officials, testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that--for the first time--the threat of "computer-launched foreign assaults on U.S. infrastructure" outranked terrorism as the greatest worldwide threat.
As FireDogLake's DS Wright said, "now that the government has decided to stimulate the cybersecurity market Washington's perennial parasites want a piece of the action."
Bloomberg News reports that within the past two weeks security contractors Lockheed Martin and Raytheon have signed an agreement under the Department of Homeland Security's Enhanced Cybersecurity Services program providing new revenue streams and, more notably, unparalleled access to personal information classified as "U.S. government data."
Under President Barack Obama's Feb. 12 cybersecurity executive order, DHS is now authorized to provide these contractors with "intelligence" gathered from commercial service providers, including personal internet records and email content. Bloomberg reports, "Obama and U.S. officials have said sharing classified threat data with companies is essential to help prevent cyber-attacks that could cause deaths or economic disruption."
According to their reporting, private contractors are heralding the dispersion of personal data under the protective umbrella of "security":
There could eventually be dozens of commercial service providers from a variety of industries, Bruce McConnell, cybersecurity counselor at the Homeland Security Department, said in an interview. "I think you will see other companies get into this business," he said. [...]
The broader dissemination of cyber-threat data "in a controlled fashion is a good thing" and can "help assure that more companies have access to information for protecting their systems," said Jessica Herrera-Flanigan, a partner with Monument Policy Group, a lobbying firm, and former Democratic staff director of the House Homeland Security Committee.
In addition to Raytheon and Lockheed, telecommunication companies CenturyLink and AT&T have also signed on as approved providers.
This news comes as the controversial Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) appears before Congress in three separate hearings this week about the Act and computer and network security, in general.
Civil liberties advocates are calling on their representatives to oppose the legislation, citing gross privacy violations and concerns over the "liberal" sharing of "very sensitive and personal information" between the government and private contractors.
_____________________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.