Cyber security analysts work in the "watch and warning center" at the DHS's secretive cyber defense lab in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Cyber security analysts work in the "watch and warning center" at the DHS's secretive cyber defense lab in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Mark J. Terrill/AP

How a Homeland Security Shutdown Would Imperil US Cyber Defense

An agency official told House lawmakers a partial shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security would do more than just slow a timely response to critical threats.

The Department of Homeland Security is warning lawmakers a shutdown at the agency would not spare its cybersecurity operations.

"I'm gravely concerned about the impact of a shutdown on our cybersecurity efforts,” Andy Ozment, DHS assistant secretary for cybersecurity and communications, said Thursday in testimony before a House subcommittee hearing.

Ozment told lawmakers a partial shutdown would affect basic cyber operations at the agency, potentially delay two key acquisition programs -- including a contract award under its multibillion-dollar continuous monitoring program -- and curtail its information-sharing activities with the private sector.

There are just 16 calendar days -- and five scheduled legislative days -- before DHS runs out of funding and would be forced to partially shut down and furlough some staff. Funding for the agency has been mired in a rancorous partisan fight over President Barack Obama’s recent executive order on immigration.

Funding for the rest of the government was settled by Congress in a catch-all spending bill two months ago.

Nearly all of the department’s cyber employees would be exempt from furloughs -- meaning they would remain on the job, albeit without pay during any funding gap.

However, during a shutdown, Ozment said DHS would “lose the support” of more than 140 staff at the agency’s 24-hour National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center.

“Without these staff, the NCCIC's capacity to provide a timely response to agencies or critical infrastructure customers seeking assistance after a cybersecurity incident will be decreased and we will be less able to conduct expedited technical analysis of cybersecurity threats,” he added.

A lapse in funding would also likely delay two acquisition programs "essential to protecting federal agencies from cybersecurity attacks and intrusions,” Ozment said, including an expansion of its Einstein 3 intrusion-detection system and a task-order award under the $6 billion Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program that DHS manages.

The CDM program "is on the verge of issuing a contract that will allow federal agencies to identify critical cyber vulnerabilities and expedite their resolution,” Ozment said. “A shutdown would delay the issuance of this award and, again, leave agencies unprotected and less able to patch and be even cognizant of the vulnerabilities that they have."

Finally, a shutdown would “significantly reduce the volume and timeliness” of the cyberthreat information DHS shares with other agencies and the private sector, Ozment testified.

DHS will be unable to bring on board new companies to its information-sharing program, he added, and planning for “next-generation information-sharing capabilities that are necessary to make our information sharing real-time and automated” would also come to a halt, he added.

The funding brouhaha and potential impact on DHS’ cyber mission comes as the Obama administration is promoting the creation of a new agency and other steps to share cyberthreat information across the government and with private industry.

The Congressional Research Service says the governmentwide shutdown in the fall of 2013 provides a “reasonable understanding” of how operations would be affected during DHS-only shutdown. During that shutdown, about 85 percent of DHS staff continued with their duties, including DHS cyber employees, CRS analyst William Painter testified.

During the last shutdown, DHS was forced to issue stop-work ordersunder the CDM program.

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.