The US government is now pushing for a more rigorous cyber crime detection program to stop hackers from daily attack on its computers as it ensures citizens that their privacy will be upheld.
Called the Einstein 3, the pioneering program under President Barack Obama administration was delayed due to plan restrictions and concerns over citizens’ privacy.
It was supposed to be launched under the Department of Homeland Security last February, a senior administration official said Friday.
Einstein 3 was said to be a top-secret program that will run under a NSA technology, which is also used by the US military in covert and tactical operations against cyber terrorists.
NSA is in charge of the US government’s electronic intelligence gathering. Critics and other groups opposed the said plan, stressing that the involvement of the NSA in cyber crime detection will send out more problems than benefits.
They said that privacy issues will be the main concern if ever the US spy agency will handle the program.
However, officials of the US military who refused to be named said that the technology can help to put a stop in the never ending battle against cyber criminals, adding that the Homeland Security will be the one in charge and not the NSA.
He stressed that cyber crime monitoring will only be limited to government computers and systems and will not hamper daily Internet habit of citizens.
DHS said that the Einstein 3 program, the latest installment in Homeland security system, needs to be put in place to prevent any form of intrusion into the government networks.
To date, E3 is currently being used by top 5 government agencies, the official added.
“Not only will Einstein 3 detect these malwares but it will automatically stop and study them to stop further data theft into the government’s protected data systems,” the official added.
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