Clinton Unveils Cyber-Terror Plan
.c The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (Jan. 7, 00) - Saying technology has brought with it too much ''power to create havoc,'' President Clinton on Friday unveiled a plan to guard against cyber-terrorism and said he will ask Congress to earmark $91 million for it in the next budget.
But Republicans in Congress were skeptical of the plan, saying it doesn't adequately protect federal computer systems. ''Under his plan, they would be left vulnerable to hackers,'' said Rep. Tom Bliley, R-Va., chairman of the House Commerce Committee.
Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee and a cosponsor of legislation on computer security, praised Clinton for ''focusing attention on this important issue'' but said the president's approach needed to be examined further.
In announcing the plan, Clinton noted that the need to ''accelerate and broaden'' computer security was underscored by the Y2K threat and the scramble to prepare for it.
The new initiative builds on steps the administration announced last year. It would seek to develop new technologies, increase public and private cooperation against computer sabotage, improve training for government agents and boost protection of computer systems.
Clinton said his proposal includes a new program to offer college scholarships to students in the field of computer security, on the condition that they perform public service afterward, creating ''a new generation of computer security specialists who will work to defend our nation's computers.''
''This plan is not the end of the discussion, but the beginning of a dialogue with Congress, with the American people and especially with the private sector,'' Clinton said of his proposal, which was three years in the making.
The $91 million cyberspace initiative is part of a $2 billion proposal for maintaining the security of the nation's increasingly digitalized infrastructure. Clinton said he would work to ensure that the security initiatives do not tread on privacy rights of citizens and businesses.
''It is essential that we do not undermine liberty in the name of liberty,'' he said. ''I hope that ... we will work together to ensure that information technology will create unprecedented prosperity in the 21st century in an atmosphere and environment that makes all Americans more secure.''
Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, chairman of the Senate special committee on the Y2K problem, said he worries about overlap between security responsibilities of the Pentagon, the FBI and other agencies that could cause ''private-sector reluctance in sharing information about high-tech vulnerabilities.''
''The president's plan is a good start,'' Bennett said. ''But Congress and the administration must work ... in partnership with private industry to preserve privacy and competition while meeting modern defense challenges.''
Speaking to reporters before departing to West Virginia for the Middle East peace talks, Clinton said the New Year's Y2K threat underscored ''how really interconnected we all are'' - and revealed how one person can use a computer for good or sinister purposes.
''There has never been a time like this, in which we have the power to create knowledge and the power to create havoc, and both those powers rest in the same hands,'' Clinton said. ''Our critical systems, from power structures to air traffic control, are connected and run by computers. We must make those systems are more secure so that America can be more secure.''
Clinton has frequently expressed concern about the emerging threat that other governments, hackers and thieves pose to a nation and a world now dependent on high technology.
The new initiative builds on steps the administration announced last year. It would seek to develop new technologies, increase public and private cooperation against computer sabotage, improve training for government agents and boost protection of computer systems.
Clinton said his proposal includes a new program to offer college scholarships to students in the field of computer security, on the condition that they perform public service afterward. ''This program will create a new generation of computer security specialists who will work to defend our nation's computers,'' he said.
Last July, the administration announced that it was creating a government-wide security network to protect against hackers. The plan included an elaborate network of electronic obstacles, monitors and analyzers to watch for suspicious activity. The first 500 intrusion monitors were to be installed on nonmilitary government computers early this year, and the full system was to be completed by May 2003.
AP-NY-01-07-00 1756EST