U.S. Cybersecurity Chief Abruptly Resigns
By TED BRIDIS, AP Technology Writer

WASHINGTON - The government's cybersecurity chief has abruptly resigned
from the Homeland Security Department amid a concerted campaign by the
technology industry and some lawmakers to persuade the Bush administration
to give him more authority and money for protection programs.

Amit Yoran, a former software executive from Symantec Corp., made his
resignation effective Thursday as director of the National Cyber Security
Division, giving a single's day notice of his intention to leave. He kept
the job one year.

Yoran has privately confided to industry colleagues his frustrations in
recent months over what he considers the department's lack of attention
paid to computer security issues, according to lobbyists and others who
recounted these conversations on condition they not be identified because
the talks were personal.

Yoran said Friday he "felt the timing was right to pursue other
opportunities." It was unclear immediately who might succeed him even
temporarily. Yoran's deputy is Donald A. "Andy" Purdy, a former White House
adviser on cybersecurity.

A department spokeswoman, Tasia Scolinos, praised Yoran as a valuable
contributor. "Cybersecurity will continue to be a priority of the
Department of Homeland Security, and we plan to move quickly to fill the
position with someone who has demonstrated leadership in this important
field," she said.

As cybersecurity chief, Yoran and his division — with an $80 million budget
and 60 employees — were responsible for carrying out dozens of
recommendations in the Bush administration's "National Strategy to Secure
Cyberspace," a set of proposals to better protect computer networks.

Yoran's position as a director — at least bureaucratic three steps below
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge — has irritated the technology
industry and even some lawmakers. They have pressed unsuccessfully in
recent months to elevate Yoran's role to that of an assistant secretary,
which could mean broader authority and more money for programs.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., complained that Yoran's surprise departure
was "yet another setback in the effort to protect our nation's cyber
infrastructure," and described the efforts as "in complete disarray."
Lofgren and Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, leaders on the House Homeland
Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, have introduced a bill — now
stalled in Congress — to make Yoran's job an assistant secretary's
position.

Senior department officials consider equally important the protection of
the nation's physical structures, such as bridges and buildings, and
computer networks, which regulate the flow of electricity, phone calls,
finances and other information. They maintain that gauging risks to
physical structures and computers separately is inefficient and expensive
because common problems threaten both.

Under Yoran, Homeland Security established a cyber alert system, which
sends urgent e-mails to subscribers about major virus outbreaks and other
Internet attacks as they occur, along with detailed instructions to help
computer users protect themselves.

It also mapped the government's universe of connected electronic devices,
the first step toward scanning them systematically for weaknesses that
could be exploited by hackers or foreign governments. And it began
routinely identifying U.S. computers and networks that were victims of
break-ins.

"Amit's departure provides a challenge for industry and its relationship
with the department on cybersecurity," said Shannon Kellogg, director of
government affairs for RSA Security Inc., a leading security firm. "He knew
how to get the job done."

Yoran effectively took over some responsibilities once assigned to Richard
Clarke, a special adviser to President Bush, and to Howard Schmidt, who
succeeded Clarke but left government during the formation of the Homeland
Security Department to work as chief security officer at eBay Inc.

Yoran cofounded Riptech Inc. of Alexandria, Va., in March 1998, which
monitored government and corporate computers around the world with an
elaborate sensor network to protect against attacks. He sold the firm in
July 2002 to Symantec for $145 million and stayed on as vice president for
managed security services.

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