[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 250 (Tuesday, December 30, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79919-79921]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-30979]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Request for Input No. 2 (RFI-2)--National Cyber Leap Year

AGENCY: The National Coordination Office (NCO) for Networking 
Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD).

ACTION: Request for Input 2 (RFI-2).

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Tomas Vagoun at [email protected] or 
(703) 292-4873. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the 
deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-
800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through 
Friday.

DATES: To be considered, submissions must be received by February 20, 
2009.
SUMMARY: This request is being issued as the second for the National 
Cyber Leap Year under the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity 
Initiative (CNCI). The goal of the National Cyber Leap Year is to 
identify the most promising game-changing ideas with the potential to 
reduce vulnerabilities to cyber exploitations by altering the 
cybersecurity landscape. The first RFI prompted over 160 responses; 
indicating a strong interest from the technical community to 
participate. This RFI-2 expands the opportunities for participation by 
permitting submitters to designate parts of submissions as proprietary. 
Continued multidisciplinary contributions from organizations with 
cybersecurity interests are strongly encouraged.
    Overview: This Request for Information No. 2 (RFI-2) is the second 
issued under the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative 
(CNCI), established within Homeland Security Presidential Directive 
(HSPD)-23. RFI-2 was developed by the Networking and Information 
Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program Senior Steering 
Group (SSG) for Cybersecurity to invite participation in a National 
Cyber Leap Year whose goal is an integrated national approach to make 
cyberspace safe for the American way of life. Over 160 responses were 
submitted to the first RFI issued by the NITRD SSG (October 14, 2008), 
indicating a strong desire by the technical community to participate. 
RFI-2 expands the opportunities for participation by permitting 
submitters to designate parts of submissions as proprietary.
    Background: We are a cyber nation. The U.S. information 
infrastructure--including telecommunications and computer networks and 
systems and the data that reside on them--is critical to virtually 
every aspect of modern life. This information infrastructure is 
increasingly vulnerable to exploitation, disruption, and destruction by 
a growing array of adversaries. The President's CNCI plan calls for 
leap-ahead research and technology to reduce vulnerabilities to 
asymmetric attack in cyberspace. Unlike many research agenda that aim 
for steady progress in the advancement of science, the leap-ahead 
effort seeks just a few revolutionary ideas with the potential to 
reshape the landscape. These game-changing technologies (or non-
technical mechanisms that are made possible through technology), 
developed and deployed over the next decade, will fundamentally change 
the cyber game into one where the good guys have an advantage. Leap-
ahead technologies are so-called because they enable us to leap over 
the obstacles preventing us from being where we want to be. These 
advances may require years of concerted research and development to be 
fully realized; good ideas often do. However, the intent is to start 
now and gain momentum as intermediate results emerge.
    Objective: The National Cyber Leap Year has two main goals: (1) 
Constructing a national research and technology agenda that both 
identifies the most promising ideas and describes the strategy that 
brings those ideas to fruition; and (2) jumpstarting game-changing, 
multi-disciplinary development efforts. The Leap Year will run during 
fiscal year 2009, and will comprise two stages: prospecting and 
focusing.
    Stage One canvasses the cybersecurity community for ideas. Our aim 
is to hear

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from all those who wish to help. The heart of Stage Two, which begins 
February 1, 2009, is a series of workshops to explore the best ideas 
from Stage One.
    As the year progresses, we will publish four types of findings: (1) 
Game-changers--descriptions of the paradigm-busters that technology 
will make possible; (2) Technical Strategy--as specifically as 
possible, the invention and/or research that needs to be done; (3) 
Productization/Implementation--how the capability will be packaged, 
delivered, and used, and by whom; and (4) Recommendations--
prescriptions for success, to include funding, policies, authorities, 
tasking--whatever would smooth the way to realization of the game-
changing capability.
    Deadline for Submission under this RFI-2: The second round of the 
Stage One cycle is covered by this RFI-2 and will close February 20, 
2009. Subsequent cycles will be announced by separate RFIs. All Stage 
One cycles are expected to be complete by April 15, 2009.

Stage One Description

What we are looking for?

    Contributors may submit up to 3 leap-ahead technology concepts. 
Multidisciplinary contributions from organizations with cybersecurity 
interests are especially encouraged. Cognizant of the limits of 
conventional studies and reports, we have given substantial thought to 
what framework and methodology might render the community's best ideas 
understandable, compelling, and actionable to those who need to support 
them, fund them, and adopt them. Since our search is for game-changing 
concepts, we ask that submitters explain their ideas in terms of a 
game. Many ideas will fall into the following three categories. Ideas 
that:
    Morph the gameboard (change the defensive terrain [permanently or 
adaptively] to make it harder for the attacker to maneuver and achieve 
his goals).
    Example: Non-persistent virtual machines--every time the enemy 
takes a hill, the hill goes away.
    Change the rules (lay the foundation for cyber civilization by 
changing network protocols and norms to favor our society's values).
    Example: The no-call list--direct marketers have to ``attack'' on 
customer terms now.
    Raise the stakes (make the cost to play less advantageous to the 
attacker by raising risk, lowering value, etc.)
    Example: Charging for e-mail--making the SPAMmer ante up means a 
lot more fish have to bite for SPAM to pay.
    Ideas that change the game in some other dimension are also 
welcome; just be sure to explain how. The rationale for why the idea is 
game-changing should be the central focus of each submission.

Who can participate?

    This RFI-2 is open to all and we especially encourage public- and 
private-sector groups (e.g., universities, government laboratories, 
companies, non-profit groups, user groups) with cybersecurity interests 
to participate. Collaborative, multidisciplinary efforts are also 
highly encouraged. Participants in Stage One must be willing to 
participate in Stage Two should one of their ideas be selected. 
Excluding proprietary information, participants must also be willing to 
have their ideas posted for discussion on a public Website and/or 
included in our final report.

How we will use it?

    The best ideas from Stage One will go on to Stage Two. Non-
proprietary elements of Stage One submissions may be posted on our 
Website for elaboration and improvement, as a key goal of the Leap Year 
is to engage diverse sectors (e.g., government, academia, commercial, 
international) in identifying multidimensional strategies and, where it 
makes sense, in rolling up their sleeves and starting to work. 
Submissions crafted with that larger community in mind will be the most 
compelling and influential.
    Leap Year interim results and emerging guidance will be posted at: 
http://www.nitrd.gov/leapyear/.
    Questions and submissions should be addressed to: 
[email protected].
    In accordance with FAR 15.202(3), responses to this notice are not 
offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding 
contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated 
with responding to this RFI-2, including any subsequent requests for 
proposals.
    All responses must be no more than two pages long (12 pt font, 
1 margins) and in this form:
    RFI Name: RFI-2--National Cyber Leap Year
    Title of Concept.
    RFI Focus Area (Morph the gameboard, Change the rules, Raise the 
stakes).
    Submitter's Contact Information--Name, Organization, Address, 
Telephone number, E-mail address.
    Summary of who you are--credentials, group membership.
    Concept--What is the idea? Explain why it would change the game. 
Introducing a good idea alone is not sufficient; you must explain how 
it changes the game.
    Vision--Make us believe in your idea (What would the world look 
like if this were in place? How would people get it, use it? What makes 
you think this is possible? What needs to happen for this to become 
real? Which parts already exist; which parts need to be invented?).
    Method--What process did you use to formulate and refine your 
concept? What assumptions or dependencies underlie your analysis?
    Dream team--Who are the people you'd need to have on your team to 
make this real? If you just know disciplines that's okay. If you have 
names, explain what those people do. If your idea is selected for 
further consideration, we will do our best to bring these people 
together for a Stage Two workshop.
    Labeling of Proprietary Information--Clearly label any part of the 
submission designated as proprietary. The proprietary information will 
be restricted to government use only. If the submission is selected for 
Stage Two, we will work with the submitter to determine exactly what 
information warrants proprietary protection and to establish 
appropriate controls for managing, protecting, and negotiating as 
appropriate the relevant intellectual property rights.
    Responses must be submitted via http://www.nitrd.gov/leapyear/ or 
e-mailed to [email protected], and must be received by February 20, 
2009. Additional Stage One cycles, if any, will be announced by 
separate RFI with all Stage One activities expected to be complete by 
April 15, 2009.
    Appendix A contains a sample submission and review considerations.

Appendix A_Sample submission

    Who you are_quieteveningathome.org--We are a 501c3 group with 
50,000 members dedicated to the preservation of the dinner hour as the 
core of American civilization.
    Game-changing dimension--Change the rules.
    Concept--Telemarketers are using our resources and time to market 
their products. They can call and interrupt our dinners and use our own 
telephones to reach us. What if we changed the rules to ``don't call 
us, we'll call you?'' Changing this rule changes the game to one where 
we decide which marketers to contact and when, returning control of the 
dinner hour to us.
    Vision--The vision is a national do-not-call register. People 
should be able to go to donotcall.gov and register their

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phone number. It would be illegal for telemarketers who have not been 
given permission to call someone. If a telemarketer makes an illegal 
call, the recipient should be able to report them to a government 
agency and they should be fined. The technology to do this is easy, we 
are not sure about the laws and policies. Courts have ruled differently 
on this issue at different times. We think the political climate is 
friendly today for Federal legislation.
    Method--We announced our search for ideas on our website and 
submissions were made there. We also publicized through restaurant and 
catering associations with whom we often partner, who offered 
interruption-free free meals for brainstorming sessions. Participation 
was not limited to members, but could not be anonymous, since it was 
our intention to follow up with submitters. The Board of Directors of 
QEAH enlisted the aid of Prandia University to work with the submitters 
of the best ideas to develop them into even better ideas. The Board 
ensured all the aspects described in the Leap Year RFI were addressed 
in our final submissions.
    Dream team--Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications 
Commission, constitutional lawyer, Telemarketers' Association, 
Consumers Union, Oracle or other database company.

Review considerations

    Submissions will be reviewed by the NITRD Senior Steering Group for 
Cybersecurity using the following considerations:
    Would it change the game?
    How clear is the way forward?
    What heights are the hurdles that may be found in the way forward?


    Submitted by the National Science Foundation for the National 
Coordination Office (NCO) for Networking and Information Technology 
Research and Development (NITRD) on December 23, 2008.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Management Analyst, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. E8-30979 Filed 12-29-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P