From: The Hill/Hillicon Valley

By Jennifer Martinez

The former deputy secretary of the Homeland Security Department announced the launch of a cybersecurity nonprofit organization on Monday that’s focused on the dual goals of preserving an open Internet and encouraging the adoption of best practices to secure computer systems against cyberattacks.

Jane Holl Lute will serve as the president and chief executive officer of the new nonprofit organization, called the Council on Cybersecurity. Lute stepped down from her role as the second-highest official at the Department of Homeland Security this spring, and her name has been floated as a possible candidate to succeed Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

In remarks at a cybersecurity conference in Washington, Lute said the council would be focused on spreading the adoption of cybersecurity best practices and equipping the cyber workforce with the skills needed to tackle the evolving challenges that lay ahead in protecting cyberspace.

“The council’s main focus is to accelerate the widespread availability and adoption of effective measures in cybersecurity and practice in technology, with respect to workforce and policy to achieve and sustain security in cyberspace,” Lute said in remarks at a conference hosted by the SANS Institute, which provides information security training and certification.

The council’s advisory board includes several high-profile members from the cybersecurity and technology spheres, including Google’s Chief Internet Evangelist Vint Cerf, Kaspersky Lab CEO Eugene Kaspersky and Booz Allen Hamilton Vice Chairman Mike McConnell. Additionally, former National Security Agency official Tony Sager will serve as the director of programs for the council.

The council’s board will be chaired by Franklin Reeder, a veteran of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Karen Evans, who previously oversaw the IT budget for the federal government at OMB, will also serve on the board.

The Council on Cybersecurity will be based in Washington, D.C., and serve as the successor organization to the National Board of Information Security Examiners, which is focused on strengthening the skills and performance of the cyber workforce.

As part of its efforts, the council will encourage the adoption of the critical security controls developed by SANS, as well as work on updating and improving them to better secure the public and private sectors from cyberattacks. Lute said the move is intended to “ease the adoption” of the controls by the government and other programs.

“We’re going to assume the responsibility of leading ongoing efforts to continue to develop and evolve the controls,” Lute said.

During her time at DHS, Lute was credited with her work on enhancing the federal government’s cybersecurity and her advocacy for open Internet principles. She reaffirmed her commitment to those efforts during her address.

“I believe in an open Internet — open, reliable, accessible. I think one of the greatest threats to the openness of the Internet is the lack of security,” Lute said.  “I think you will see actors, including governments, step into that space in order to provide security, so I think they travel together.”