Schmidt is acting chair of the US Critical Infrastructure Protection Board. His resignation follows that of Richard Clarke, who held the job of the so-called cybersecurity czar, the name given to the US government’s top IT security thinker, for a little over a year.
Clarke resigned in February following the completion and publication of a National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace document, which urged all internet users, companies, and government agencies to secure their systems.
Schmidt reportedly made a statement privately to colleagues Monday in which he said many of the CIPB’s responsibilities are being absorbed into the new Department of Homeland Security. It was not clear whether that was the reason for his resignation.
The Information Technology Association of America called on the Bush administration to find somebody to fill Schmidt’s shoes in the IT security bully pulpit. The ITAA represents about 400 IT companies including most of the heavyweights.
We believe that cybersecurity is an essential component of national security, ITAA president Harris Miller said in a statement. We are concerned, however, that the cybersecurity issue is losing visibility inside the White House. Frankly, when everybody is in charge of an issue, nobody is in charge of the issue.
Schmidt was, until his resignation over a year ago, Microsoft Corp’s chief security strategist and will reportedly return to the private sector once his tenure at the White House is over.
Source: Computerwire
