Clinton proposes plan to fight computer attacks

By Randall Mikkelsen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Clinton Friday proposed boosting government spending on computer security by $251 million as part of a long-term plan to guard against threats ranging from hackers to terrorists.

Elements in Clinton's plan to defend America's ``information infrastructure,'' include a $160 million increase in computer security research, giving college scholarships to students who agree to work for the government as security specialists and setting up a way to share public and private research.

``Today our critical systems, from power structures to air traffic control, are connected and run by computers. We must make those systems more secure so that America can be more secure,'' Clinton said in an appearance outside the White House.

Potential threats range from the hobbyist-hacker to countries or terrorists trying to cripple a nation's economy by attacking its computer systems, said Richard Clarke, head of counter-terrorism efforts for the U.S. National Security Council.

``We are aware now, over the course of the last two years, that several other nations have developed offensive information warfare units, organizations, tactics, doctrine and capability,'' Clarke told reporters.

``That doesn't mean they're going to use them, but it means that they're developing them, they're getting better all the time,'' he said. He did not identify any of the countries that have developed cyber warfare capabilities.

MORE MONEY, NEW PROGRAMS REQUESTED

Clinton will request $2.03 billion for computer security in his 2001 budget request next month, up from $1.75 billion allocated in the 2000 budget, White House Chief of Staff John Podesta told reporters.

Included in the request are a boost in information security research spending to $621 million from $461 million, and $91 million in new initiatives.

Clinton proposed a new program that will offer college scholarships to students in the field of computer security in exchange for their government service afterward. ``This program will create a new generation of computer security specialists who will work to defend our nation's computers,'' he said.

Starting pay for such recruits, who are in high demand in the private sector, may need to be sharply increased from existing government pay scales, Clarke said.

Clinton also proposed a new grant-making institute to support research in areas currently not pursued by either the public or private sectors.

``The Institute for Information Infrastructure Protection will bring to bear the finest computer scientists and engineers from the private sector, from universities and from other research facilities to find ways to close these gaps,'' he said.

A report on computer security, which had been ordered by Clinton and formed the basis of his proposals, also proposed development of a government-wide ``burglar alarm'' to detect unauthorized tampering with computers and protect government information on individuals.

Y2K PROJECT AN EXAMPLE

The federal government sailed through the Year 2000 computer change after a huge effort to get computers to recognize the new century.

Clinton said the Y2K experience underscored ``how really interconnected we all are.''

``We live in an age when one person sitting at one computer can come up with an idea, travel through cyberspace, and take humanity to new heights. Yet someone can sit at the same computer, hack into a computer system, and potentially paralyze a company, a city or a government,'' he said.

In response to concerns from libertarian groups that civil rights could be undermined by increased computer security, Clinton added, ``I will continue to work equally hard to uphold the privacy rights of the American people as well as the proprietary rights of American businesses,'' he said.

-- Edward R. (somewhere@the.morrow), January 07, 2000