Bush Govt to spend more on cybersecurity research

WASHINGTON: President Bush signed into law, a measure that will almost quadruple federal spending by 2007 on computer security research, reflecting the heightened interest Washington has taken in the issue over the past year. The law aims to create a cadre of cybersecurity experts able to guard against attacks like the one that disabled nine of the 13 computers that underpin the Internet's domain-name system last month.

It will increase federal spending from its current annual level of about $60 million to $111 million next year, ramping up to $231 million in 2007. The law earmarks $903 million over five years for grants, scholarships and other incentives for long-term cybersecurity research.

The issue has been pushed to the fore as a series of destabilizing worms and viruses have spread across the Internet, disrupting traffic and causing millions of dollars in damage. Congressional reports, meanwhile, have revealed gaping security holes in government systems that oversee both national defense and millions of dollars in funds.

Experts have told Congress that online attacks could possibly shut down power plants, telephone networks and other "critical infrastructures" that have moved their control systems online. While commercial software companies such as Microsoft Corp. have recently devoted more effort to patching up their products, experts say the government should do more to encourage fundamental long-term research. U.S. universities only awarded 28 doctorates in the field last year.

The National Science Foundation and the National Institute for Standards and Technology will hand out the money in the form of research grants, fellowships and internships for students, and funds to improve undergraduate and masters-degree programs in network security. It also will set up a program to increase the number of college-level cybersecurity instructors, and direct the National Institute for Standards to help federal officials secure their systems.

© Reuters