In the frenzied weeks following September 11, 2001, the Bush Administration ordered up a comprehensive plan to secure U. S. cyberspace. The idea was that the feds would require tech companies to protect the Web from a potential attack that could cost the economy billions. Unfortunately, that's not what happened. Thanks to heavy lobbying by the tech sector, The National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace Report, released Sept. 18 by the White House, substitutes weak suggestions for tough directives. Gone from previous versions: a special govern-ment-and-industry-fed fund to be used to upgrade network security; requirements for Internet service providers to boost customer protection; and mandatory moves to enhance wireless-network security. Cybersecurity "is an area that cries out for government regulation, but the response has been 'Yawn, ho hum,'" says Russ Cooper, an official at TrueSecure Corp. in Herndon, Va., which advises companies on Net security.
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