For two years, the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative, sometimes known as NSPD54, was a classified government secret. No more.
White House cyber coordinator Howard Schmidt announced at the RSA show that the plan is being made available to the public for the first time. eSecurity Planet has the story from the show in San Francisco.
SAN FRANCISCO — His speech centered around mutual efforts to secure data and systems, but White House Internet security adviser Howard A. Schmidt’s biggest tidbit was a data revelation: he told attendees of the RSA Conference that the Obama administration would declassify the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI).
The CNCI is a national plan to secure public and private sector computer networks first formulated under the Bush administration in early 2008. The plan, formally known as National Security Presidential Directive 54, or NSPD54, has remained classified, though members of both the Bush and Obama administrations have dropped hints as to its contents.
But now, the kimono is totally opened. “I’m pleased to announce that the administration has updated the classification guidance for the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative, or CNCI, which began in 2008 and forms an important component in our cybersecurity efforts within the federal government,” said Schmidt in the last of five RSA keynotes Tuesday.
The CNCI is now available online from the White House and in PDF format. It consists of 12 initiatives. They are:
