CybersecurityNSA pushes for greater federal cybersecurity role

General Keith Alexander, the head of the National Security Agency (NSA), and other intelligence officials are pushingthe Obama administration to expand the role of the NSA in federal cybersecurity initiatives.

The general has proposed expanding the NSA’s authority to allow the agency to pre-emptively block cyberattacks against targets within the United States and scan for cyberthreats.

The Wall Street Journal reports that General Alexander has raised the issue with the White House, other top military commanders, and intelligence officials.

The NSA proposal has made many critics wary as it would allow the NSA’s powerful surveillance tools to begin monitoring U.S. citizens at home. The agency has come under fire for its warrantless wiretapping of citizens under the Bush administration.

A former U.S. defense official speaking to the Wall Street Journal said General Alexander is “making the case that to be effective, you have to do it at network speed—tracking domestically, monitoring, following malware or a botnet or some kind of penetration technique.”

In response Judith Emmel, a spokesperson for the NSA, said “General Alexander has repeatedly stated that our role is to inform, not make, cyberpolicy.”

Concerned with privacy violations, Deputy National Security Adviser John Brennan said the administration is working to “strike a balance between addressing the operational requirements of our military, intelligence and homeland security professionals, while safeguarding the values of freedom, openness, and innovation.”

According to a former U.S. defense official, the White House is not supportive of the NSA’s proposal as it would upset civil liberties groups.