Anti-Cyber Terrorism Spending To Reach $6.3 Billion

Information terrorism is described by market research firm Input as "a full-time concern" among federal IT professionals.

With cyber terrorism attacks increasing, federal civilian and defense IT security spending will likely also increase from $5.1 billion in fiscal year 2006 (FY06) to $6.3 billion by FY11, according to a report released Wednesday by Input.

"Information terrorism has evolved from a part-time nuisance to a full-time concern among federal information technology and network management professionals," said Bruce Brody, Input's vice president of information, in a statement.

The market research firm, an authority on government business, noted that cyber attacks have been on the upswing as information becomes increasingly valuable, making the protection of federal networks a growing priority.

"Recently, a federal Chief Information Officer stated that his department's network registered 300 million attacks over a period of one year," said Brody. "Considering the threat level, it is not surprising that federal CIOs consider information security as one of their top priorities."Input pointed to the recent data theft at the Department of Veterans Affairs as a spur to Congress to examine the issue. Another serious cyber breach at the State Department reported this week has intensified concern among Congressional leaders.

The market research firm indicated that Congress is focusing on government IT managers' lack of centralized authority over IT policies as a problem, because the managers have little authority over the implementation and enforcement of the policies. "Most CIOs and CISOs (Chief Information Security Officers) face numerous organizational technical challenges hindering centralized control," the Input announcement said.

Input said it expects legislators to reevaluate the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) in view of its receipt of a low "D" grade recently from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Input looks for Congress to beef up some practices including real-time network monitoring, inventory management, configuration management, and identity management.

Brody also examined Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) in his report. He said: "The expected increase in CIO authority and HSPD-12 will also impact civilian agency IT security spending".