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CX2SA > HAM 14.01.10 13:56l 155 Lines 9438 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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From: CX2SA@CX2SA.LAV.URY.SA
To : HAM@WW
White House Names Ham as New Cybersecurity Coordinator
======================================================
On Tuesday, December 22, President Barack Obama named Howard A. Schmidt,
W7HAS, as the new White House Cybersecurity Coordinator. According to the
White House, Schmidt -- an ARRL member -- is one of the world's leading
authorities on computer security, with some 40 years of experience in
government, business and law enforcement and "will have regular access to
the President and serve as a key member of his National Security Staff. He
will also work closely with his economic team to ensure that our
cybersecurity efforts keep the Nation secure and prosperous."
In a 2003 interview with The New Atlantis, Schmidt described cybersecurity
as "the realization that computer systems affect our basic needs on a daily
basis. Electricity, water, telephone -- these things are all run by
computers, and my job is to work with owners and operators and government
agencies to make sure that they continue to function properly and are not
disrupted because of security events that then, in turn, affect our daily
lives."
Schmidt told the ARRL that he credits Amateur Radio with getting him
involved with technology: "In high school, one of my friends was a ham and
he got me interested in shortwave radio, which in turn got me into building
shortwave radios and equipment, many from Heathkit. As I got older, I took
courses from NRI and Bell and Howell in electronics and built a number of
projects, preparing me for my first ham radio ticket. I love technology, and
it was Amateur Radio that caused me to build my first computer -- a Sinclair
ZX-80 to use for EME calculations. I studied all about the OSCAR systems and
would build equipment to monitor when they would pass within range of
Arizona. Building these computers to support my ham radio hobby gave me the
technical skills that I need to not only start doing computer crime
investigations and work on the early stages of computer forensics, in turn
enabling me to start working on cybersecurity issues."
Schmidt is no stranger to the White House -- he served as a cyber-adviser in
President George W. Bush's White House. After the 9/11 attacks, President
Bush appointed Schmidt as the Vice Chairman of the President's Critical
Infrastructure Protection Board and as the Special Adviser for Cyberspace
Security for the White House. While at the White House, he assisted in the
creation of the US National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, becoming Chairman
in January 2003. In May 2003, Schmidt retired from the White House after 31
years of public service in local and federal government.
Schmidt as a Ham
Schmidt has been an Amateur Radio operator for more than 30 years. "I was
first licensed in the late 1970s as a Technician class licensee with the
call sign WB7NUV," he told the ARRL. "I did a lot on 2 meters, 70 cm and on
Packet. The TAPR group out of Tucson was real inspiration to me as I found
the work they were doing absolutely wonderful. I started as a part of the
Arizona Repeater Association (ARA) and lived for our annual hamfest at Ft
Tuthill in Flagstaff."
Back in the 1980s, Schmidt told the ARRL that he tried moonbounce and had "a
full shack of RTTY machines -- Teletype Corporation models 15 and 19 and
even a model 21. I would spend weekends printing reams of pictures from
Ricky, W0CKY, and all of the great TTY pictures he would transmit. I still
have my Collins KWM 2A, 312B station console and accessories. While I have
not used it for years, it is one of my treasured possessions. Through the
years, I had about every type of HF radio made and even have my Collins
R-388 and R-390 in a 19 inch rack. I will never forget the day we were able
to talk to Southern California on a 2 meter handheld with the repeaters we
had from Central Ariz. During the '100 year flood' in Arizona, the community
of Rainbow Valley was essentially cut off from the rest of the state to the
north when a bridge and power lines were washed away. Using ham radio
equipment, we were able to coordinate moving in food, water, medical
supplies and generators from the Air Force base I was working at (then Gila
Bend Air Force Auxiliary Field) and work with the county sheriff's office to
coordinate support."
Schmidt said that as with many other things, his love for Amateur Radio took
a back seat to work, family and life in general: "While I got rid of all of
my RTTY equipment back in the early 90's, I have continued to follow all of
the great advances of ham radio." He said that only just recently, he got
back into the hobby after what he called "an administrative error."
"Someone with a call very similar to mine upgraded to Extra class and when
the form was sent to FCC, they mistyped one letter and it was my call that
was submitted," he explained. "You can imagine my surprise when I received
my Extra class license and new call in the mail. When I tried to find out
what happened I was told (wrongly) that I was probably 'grandfathered.' I
went out and bought an all band/all mode rig, antennas, power supplies,
batteries -- everything I needed to outfit my shack. When all was said and
done, we got the error fixed, but by that time, I was hooked on Amateur
Radio all over again. I am now in the process of doing a room addition to be
my new ham shack! I rejoined ARRL and now have room full of new gear waiting
for the remodel to be done. Thanks to what I learned from the many hams on
Web sites, I even built in PVC pipes through the walls to run my antennas."
Schmidt's Rise to Cybersecurity Czar
Schmidt began his government service in 1967 -- starting with a tour in the
US Air Force -- both in active duty and in the civil service. After leaving
the Air Force in 1983, he joined the Chandler (Arizona) Police Department,
serving on the SWAT team and the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Unit;
he formed and led the Special Enforcement Team. In 11 years as a local first
responder he dealt with numerous issues surrounding emergency response to
local incidents. While on the police force, he was instrumental in
selecting, designing and the operation of interoperable communications and a
public safety response system. Schmidt left the police department in 1994 to
join the FBI at the National Drug Intelligence Center to head up the
Computer Exploitation Team.
Schmidt went on to become a Supervisory Special Agent and Director of the
Air Force Office of Special Investigations' (AFOSI) Computer Forensics Lab
and Computer Crime and Information Warfare Division. In 1996, while serving
in that position, he established the first dedicated computer forensics lab
in the government, which was the basis for the formation of the Defense
Computer Forensic Laboratory (DCFL). In 1997, Schmidt joined Microsoft as
the Director of Information Security, Chief Information Security Officer
(CISO) and Chief Security Officer (CSO), leaving in 2001 to join the White
House. When he retired from government service in May 2003, he joined the
online auction site eBay as their Vice President and Chief Information
Security Officer and Chief Security Strategist.
Throughout his industry career, Schmidt has served as a reservist in the
National Guard and Army. He served in the Arizona Air National Guard as
computer communications specialist from 1989-1998, then transferred to the
US Army Reserves as a Special Agent in the Criminal Investigation Division
where he continues to serve with the Computer Crime Investigations Unit at
CID HQ. He has testified as an expert witness in federal and military courts
in the areas of computer crime, computer forensics and Internet crime.
After Schmidt retired from eBay, he started his own consulting firm, R&H
Security Consulting. In September 2008, he took over as President and CEO of
Information Security Forum Ltd; he remains CEO until he begins his White
House appointment in January 2010. He is also a board member of the Finnish
security company Codenomicon, International President of the Information
Systems Security Association and board member of the International
Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, commonly known as
(ISC). In October 2008, he was named one of the 50 most influential people
in business IT by the readers and editors of Baseline Magazine.
Schmidt serves on the Executive Committee of the Information Technology
Sector Coordination Council. He is a member of the High Technology Crime
Investigation Association, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the
International Association of Chiefs of Police. He has testified before
congressional committees on computer security and cyber crime and has been
featured on BBC, ABC, CNN, CNBC and Fox TV discussing cybersecurity,
investigations and technology. He is the author of Patrolling Cyberspace,
Lessons Learned from a Lifetime in Data Security and a contributor to The
Black Book on Corporate Security.
Now that Schmidt has rediscovered how much fun Amateur Radio can be, he has
no plans to let his enjoyment pass him by again. "I have my multi-band
handheld transceiver next to my suitcase to take back to DC with me," he
told the ARRL. "I hope to set up a station once I get settled. I do not plan
on letting any more years slip by and not enjoying this great hobby."
Copyright ¸ 2009, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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