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Article snippet: An effort in Congress to reorganize the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity efforts is finally gaining steam, but faces an uncertain fate as lawmakers leave for the August recess. The prospect for reorganizing the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) took a big step this week. A key House committee advanced legislation that would rename the DHS office and spin it out into its own operational agency—giving lawmakers pushing for changes new optimism. Former officials say that elevating the department’s cyber wing will add more muscle to DHS’s cybersecurity efforts, giving it more credibility to handle the security of civilian federal government networks and critical infrastructure. But while they are encouraged by the action on the issue, some warn lawmakers need to act more quickly and worry about additional obstacles ahead. “I think Congress needs to have a greater sense of urgency about this,” said Suzanne Spaulding, who served as NPPD undersecretary during the Obama administration. “Our adversaries are not slowing down. If anything, the pace of innovation ... among the bad guys is increasing.” “It’s unfortunate that it’s taking so much time and DHS is only going to be as good as its credibility,” said James Norton, a former official at the department during the George W. Bush administration. “It’s time to get this done.” Focus on DHS’s cyber duties has increased as a result of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, w... Link to the full article to read more