"If you think that a critical systems attack that takes down a utility even for a few hours is not serious, just look at what is happening now that Mother Nature has taken out those utilities," Napolitano said.
The DHS task force recommended that two-year cyberprograms at community colleges be established to train large numbers of people and encourage military veterans to participate. The first of the programs could start as early as next year, Reuters reported.
Similar efforts to create a cyber-reserve program in other countries include a “white hat” hacker organization in Estonia that supports its national guard and a program being developed in the U.K.