An Unprecedented Public-Private Partnership as Google and NSA Team on Cyberattacks

Google (GOOG) will not have to go it alone as it attempts to unravel cyberattacks on its service in China which have raised the question about how vulnerable the search company’s servers are in other parts of the world. The Google problem extends to every major website from Twitter to CNN.com that could be a target of major attacks by hackers.

The problem with internet security is not limited to public websites. Cyberattacks that apparently originated in North Korea last year had as their targets US government data sites and the internet operations of major US corporations.

The Washington Post reports that the National Security Agency will establish a formal relationship with Google. “Under an agreement that is still being finalized, the National Security Agency would help Google analyze a major corporate espionage attack that the firm said originated in China and targeted its computer networks,” the paper reported.

The number of these public-private joint ventures between US companies and the government is almost certain to rise as internet security becomes a more pressing issue as the number and level of sophistication of cyberattacks grow. Internet security software and technology have not been able to keep up with the level of skill among hackers. Sharing information among the federal government and a large number of companies with significant internet operations may be the only way to keep pace with the number of assaults that websites are likely to suffer.

The partnership is a sign that the NSA and Google believe that they have fallen behind in their ability to create security to protect themselves.

Hackers 1. Google & NSA 0.

Douglas A. McIntyre