NBC News
The U.S. government is expanding a cybersecurity program that scans
Internet traffic headed into and out of defense contractors to include
far more of the country's private, civilian-run infrastructure.
As a result, more private sector employees than ever before, including
those at big banks, utilities and key transportation companies, will
have their emails and Web surfing scanned as a precaution against cyber
attacks.
Under last month's White House executive order on cybersecurity,
the scans will be driven by classified information provided by U.S.
intelligence agencies — including data from the National Security Agency
(NSA) — on new or especially serious espionage threats and other
hacking attempts. U.S. spy chiefs said on March 12 that cyber attacks have supplanted terrorism as the top threat to the country.
The Department of Homeland Security will gather the secret data and
pass it to a small group of telecommunication companies and cyber
security providers that have employees holding security clearances,
government and industry officials said. Those companies will then offer
to process email and other Internet transmissions for critical
infrastructure customers that choose to participate in the program.-[Full Article]
