For Immediate Release
DHS Press Office
Contact: 202-282-8010
WASHINGTON - Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today participated in a meeting with members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council’s (HSAC) Task Force on CyberSkills, where they discussed eleven recommendations under five objectives aimed at improving the Department of Homeland Security’s ability to build a world-class cybersecurity team and a strong pipeline for the future. On October 1, the HSAC unanimously approved sending the Task Force recommendations to the Secretary.
“DHS is committed to working with our partners at universities and throughout the private sector to develop the next generation of cyber professionals to protect against evolving cyber threats,” said Secretary Napolitano. “I appreciate the Task Force’s hard work and dedication to helping the Department build a safe, secure, and resilient cyberspace.”
During the meeting, Secretary Napolitano thanked the Task Force for their service and the recommendations to identify best practices for developing a national security workforce and engage with outside groups to recruit an experienced cyber workforce. DHS is committed to improving recruitment, training, and retention of cybersecurity professionals, while strengthening hiring programs at community colleges and among U.S. military veterans.
In July 2012, Secretary Napolitano directed the HSAC to form the Task Force on CyberSkills in response to the increasing demand for the best and brightest in the cybersecurity field across industry, academia and government. The Task Force, co-chaired by Jeff Moss and Alan Paller, conducted extensive interviews with experts from government, the private sector, and academia in developing its recommendations to grow the advanced technical skills of the DHS cybersecurity workforce and expand the national pipeline of men and women with these cybersecurity skills.
In addition to protecting civilian government networks (the .gov domain), DHS also works with owners and operators of critical infrastructure to help them secure their own networks. Last year, the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team, part of DHS’ 24-hour watch and warning center, responded to more than 106,000 incident reports, and released more than 5,000 actionable cybersecurity alerts and information products to public and private sector partners.
For more information, visit www.dhs.gov.
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