Perfect Citizen is a program designed in 2010 to perform

vulnerability assessment A vulnerability assessment is the process of identifying, quantifying, and prioritizing (or ranking) the vulnerabilities in a system. Examples of systems for which vulnerability assessments are performed include, but are not limited to, informatio ...

by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

National Security Agency The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collect ...

on U.S. critical infrastructure. It was originally reported to be a program to develop a system of sensors to detect cyber attacks on

critical infrastructure Critical infrastructure (or critical national infrastructure (CNI) in the UK) is a term used by governments to describe assets that are essential for the functioning of a society and economy – the infrastructure. Most commonly associated wi ...

computer networks in both the private and public sector through a

network monitoring Network monitoring is the use of a system that constantly monitors a computer network for slow or failing components and that notifies the network administrator (via email, SMS or other alarms) in case of outages or other trouble. Network monitori ...

system named Einstein. It is funded by the

Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative The Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI) outlines U.S. cybersecurity goals across multiple agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, the Office of Management and Budget, and the National Security Agency. The initiativ ...

and thus far

Raytheon Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitali ...

has received a contract for up to $100 million for the initial stage. The program was originally reported to be designed to monitor for, as well as neutralize and counter,

cyberattack A cyberattack is any offensive maneuver that targets computer information systems, computer networks, infrastructures, or personal computer devices. An attacker is a person or process that attempts to access data, functions, or other restricte ...

s against government agencies and private companies in critical parts of the U.S. private sector including defense, power plants, transportation, and major internet firms. The program is the successor to a previous surveillance project called "April Strawberry". The project is still in an early stage, "but NSA officials have reportedly met with utility executives and politely asked them to cooperate with the surveillance." Although participation is still voluntary, the government has offered incentives such as additional contracts to those who comply.

Controversy

The program, which is described by critics as " Big Brother", has raised privacy concerns as well as concerns over government intervention in the private sector.

References

National Security Agency Privacy of telecommunications Privacy in the United States {{US-gov-stub

Controversy

See also

References