Newport Beach, Calif.,, Dec. 9, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- PivX Solutions' CTO Geoff Shively was an active participant in the first National Cyber Security Summit, the groundbreaking two-day event sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Business Software Alliance, International Trade and Technology Associates and the U.S. Chamber of Conference. Among the attendees were senior government officials, including DHS Secretary Tom Ridge and Cyber Czar Amit Yoran, as well as top officials from the Treasury Department, CIA, Department of Defense and the National Security Agency. Participants included top security executives from Microsoft, IBM, SAP, Oracle, Cisco, Computer Associates and Hewlett Packard and other major companies. These public and private sector leaders shared their perspectives on how the Department of Homeland Security's National Cyber Security Division can continue to implement the President's National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace.
Secretary Ridge joined the group to underscore the importance of moving forward with a plan of action for securing computer networks. "Everything from banking transactions to electricity grids depends upon our cyber infrastructure, and that presents a target for terrorists," said Ridge in his keynote address.
Amit Yoran, newly appointed Director of the DHS Cyber Security Division, said the efforts are a first step in creating "a culture of security...(for) improving preparedness before we see an electronic 9/11."
Shively was a participant in the Security Across the Software Development Life Cycle: Secure Software Development, Maintenance, Patching and Configuration task force. As a result of his contribution to the group, Shively was selected Chairman of the Software Development Lifecycle Task Force within the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity Initiative subcommittee. The charter of this committee is to create a plan for the future development of secure software and a means of classification for certification in both academia and the private sector. The net result will be a set of recommendations that will be presented to Secretary Ridge and the White House on March 1, 2004.
According to the twenty-one-year-old Shively, "The Summit was a dream come true for me, having dedicated over half of my life to internet security. I am honored to have the opportunity to participate and collaborate with leaders in government, business and industry in the development of meaningful solutions to the ever-increasing problems of cyber security. I look forward to working with the esteemed members of my task force over the next three months."