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1998 NSTAC Workplan

The Nation’s economic vitality, common defense, and overall welfare rely on a collection of infrastructures that are increasingly dependent on telecommunications and information systems. The growing integration of communications systems and interdependencies among infrastructures creates not only the potential for greater robustness of essential operations, but also increased vulnerabilities. Additionally, the Nation's information infrastructure and essential support systems are increasingly at risk to electronic intrusion and attack.

In its advisory role to the President, the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) provides industry-based analyses and policy recommendations on information assurance, infrastructure protection, and a range of other national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) telecommunications issues. The NSTAC partnership with Government also fosters critical information exchange that benefits the public and private sectors as the Nation’s telecommunications and information infrastructures evolve.

In preparation for the 21st NSTAC meeting, the NSTAC’s Industry Executive Subcommittee (IES) will take action in five priority areas:

• Infrastructure Protection
• Network Security
• Telecommunications Reform
• National Coordinating Mechanism
• Outreach.

The work plan is based on deliberations from the NSTAC XX meeting, guidance from the Executive Office of the President, and consideration of ongoing issues of national importance.

Infrastructure Protection. The protection of key public and private elements of the Nation’s information infrastructure from exploitation, degradation, and denial of service is essential to national security. The NSTAC will continue to identify and assess information assurance risks associated with the Nation’s critical infrastructures. The NSTAC will:

• Investigate critical infrastructure protection issues
• Sponsor a 2nd Transportation Information Workshop to complete the information assurance risk assessment of the transportation infrastructure
• Examine inter-infrastructure/national coordinating mechanism (NCM) issues at the transportation workshop by including representatives from the telecommunications, electric power and financial services industries
• Examine other pertinent issues such as research and development (R&D) at the workshop
• Consider the recommendations of President’s Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection (PCCIP) and follow-on activities
• Frame the NS/EP implications of and issues associated with electronic commerce (EC)
• Analyze the cyber security risks of EC
• Continue efforts to develop a joint industry-law enforcement dialog on cyber security issues
• Consider the potential NS/EP implications of related issues
• Assess Global Information Infrastructure developments to identify NS/EP issues
• Assess the status of the World Trade Organization Basic Telecommunications Services Agreement
• Assess Global Mobile Personal Communications by Satellite Memorandum of Understanding developments.

Network Security. The NSTAC will investigate public network vulnerabilities, focusing on the potential for widespread outages, R&D in network security technologies, the exchange of network security information, and overall network security policy. The NSTAC will:

• Complete work on the NSTAC’s widespread telecommunications outage study
• Clarify the conclusions of the report
• Investigate how technology-related vulnerabilities can cause or influence a widespread outage
• Assess the plans and mechanisms for intercarrier and industry-Government coordination to respond to a widespread telecommunications outage
• Examine the possibility of a widespread Internet outage, or service integrity degradation, caused by the failure of network routing and control mechanisms. [(Apply lessons learned from the Public Switched Network (PSN)]
• Assess Year 2000 issues associated with NS/EP telecommunications
• Industry R&D Exchange
• Plan and conduct R&D exchange
• Determine the feasibility of a long-term R&D consortium
• Help devise a long-term R&D strategy on infrastructure protection
• Promote the exchange of information between industry and Government regarding network vulnerabilities and threats and network security solutions
• Update the risk assessment of the public network.

Telecommunications Reform. The NSTAC will identify and address the critical NS/EP issues that develop as a result of the implementation of telecommunications legislation and other related legislative, regulatory, and judicial actions. The NSTAC will:

• Examine options to enhance communications on NS/EP matters between and among industry, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and other relevant Government organizations
• Consider how the role of the FCC Defense Commissioner can be further adapted to enable carrying out NS/EP responsibilities in a timely and efficient manner
• Investigate the need for a NS/EP industry advisory body to the FCC on NS/EP telecommunications issues
• Document the intergovernmental relationships between the FCC, the National Communications System, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy regarding NS/EP responsibilities
• Continue to assess the implementation of the Network Reliability and Interoperability Council’s (NRIC) recommendations regarding National Services
• Study the feasibility of defining NS/EP telecommunications programs as National Services
• Monitor NRIC activities for their potential impact on NS/EP telecommunications programs and requirements
• Review the final report of the PCCIP for potential legislative and regulatory implications for NS/EP telecommunications
• Continue to assess the implications of Telecommunications Act of 1996 implementation on NS/EP telecommunications
• Assist in preparing outreach materials for NS/EP telecommunications programs
• Monitor the progress of wireless telecommunications priority access initiatives (e.g., Cellular Priority Access Service).

National Coordinating Mechanism. The ability of the United States to effectively respond to NS/EP situations is heavily dependent upon a robust information infrastructure and coordinated emergency response. To protect the Nation’s critical infrastructures from electronic threats, partnerships must be developed between private sector infrastructure owners and operators and public sector users. The NSTAC will:

• Refine the concept of an NCM
• Explore and identify linkages within Government and between critical infrastructures
• Solicit Government participation to develop the NCM process
  NCS member departments and agencies
  White House/PCCIP Transition Team
• Develop standardized intrusion incident information reporting criteria for the National
• Coordinating Center for Telecommunications (NCC)
• Work with the Office of the Manager, National Communications System (OMNCS), and the
• Manager of the NCC to implement the intrusion incident processing pilot
• Utilize "Draft NCC Intrusion Incident Reporting Criteria and Format Guidelines" to develop final guidelines
• Assess emergency communications capabilities in the context of U.S. counterterrorism policy concerning nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) materials
• Monitor OMNCS and industry participation in the telecommunications disaster planning aspect of the Federal Emergency Management Agency NBC study.

Outreach. The NSTAC provides a model framework for joint Federal Government/industry cooperation. The NSTAC will share its lessons learned with a variety of public and private sector organizations and will work with senior administration officials to increase awareness of infrastructure protection, network security, telecommunications reform, and national coordinating mechanism issues. The NSTAC will:

• Communicate with senior administration officials to increase the level of National infrastructure protection
• Work with National Security Council, as requested, to implement the PCCIP report recommendations
• Monitor any Information Systems Security Board related activity
• Stand ready to assist the electrical power industry to help form an NSTAC-like body

Published for internal information use by the National Communications System. Parenthetical entries are speaker/author notes; bracketed entries are editorial notes. This material is in the public domain and may be reprinted without permission.

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