Book excerpt: I am pleased to be here today to discuss efforts to protect federal agency information systems and our nation's critical computer-dependent infrastructures. Federal agencies, and other public and private entities, rely extensively on computerized systems and electronic data to support their missions. Accordingly, the security of these systems and data is essential to avoiding disruptions in critical operations, data tampering, fraud, and inappropriate disclosure of sensitive information. Further, as the Comptroller General stated in testimony last week, protecting against computer-based attacks on critical infrastructures is an important aspect of homeland security.