[Infowarrior] - Mikulski presses for more NSA web powers

[Richard Forno]

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http://www.politico.com/blogs/joshgerstein/0510/Mikulski_presses_for_more_NSA_powers.html

Mikulski presses for more NSA web powers

Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) is pressing the Obama Administration to give the National Security Agency more power to oversee the privately-owned portions of the Internet.

During an appropriations hearing Thursday, Mikulski pressed Attorney General Eric Holder for answers about legal opinions the government may be drafting to address the extent to which the NSA can defend cyberspace in the U.S.

The Maryland senator said divisions of responsibility between the Department of Homeland Security and NSA, which happens to be based in her state, have paralyzed the government's cybersecurity efforts. She suggested NSA's role needs to go beyond protecting the "dot-mil" domains.

"We don't know who the hell is in charge." Mikulski complained. "The private sector is really apprehensive about the ongoing attacks on them...We have to have kind of a legal framework."

"There needs to be clarification of government and there needs to be clarification in and perhaps new law," she added. The senator suggested that "certain constrictions that have served us well in the past" need to be changed, though she quickly added that privacy and civil liberties protections need to remain.

Mikulski also took a shot at DHS, saying, "They really don't have a lot to offer right this minute, or they do, but they're getting it from the dot-mil."

Holder, who admittedly has had a lot of other things to worry about the last couple of days, seemed befuddled by the questions. He initially seemed to think Mikulski was asking about Justice Department efforts to fight cybercrime.

UPDATE: Main Justice's Joe Palazzolo reports that budget documents say the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel has done extensive work on the legal issues surrounding cybersecurity.

When Holder said he was open to "any suggestions," Mikulski grew impatient. "I'll be honest Mr. Holder, I'm not looking for suggestions, I'm looking for a comprehensive effort, tasked by the White House to the Attorney General's office."

Holder never gave a firm answer about whether such a review was underway or would be undertaken. "We want to make sure that the laws we have on the books are up to date to deal with this new reality," Holder said, before indicating that the White House was really in the lead on cybersecurity.

In March, the Obama Administration declassified parts of a cybersecurity plan that splits certain responsibilities between DHS and NSA.