GOP Candidate Carson Pitches New Federal Cybersecurity Agency

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson has announced his plan to establish the National Cyber Security Administration (NCSA), a special agency of the federal government. In short, the NCSA would “identify cyber best practices, create incentives for information sharing between industry and law enforcement, encourage students to pursue math and science careers, research viruses and vulnerabilities and serve as a resource on digital privacy issues.” Carson claims current cybersecurity policy in the U.S. is “disjointed and Ineffective” and instead of creating a completely “new federal bureaucracy,” the NCSA would centralize “redundant programs” spread throughout the federal government. Carson is one of several Republican presidential hopefuls that have displayed a need for focus on cybersecurity with Jeb Bush being the first to release a comprehensive cybersecurity plan. Carson’s eight page plan to create the NCSA can be found here.