A consortium of 23 security research institutions is calling on the government and private companies to put more research and development muscle into a host of cybersecurity problems, including scanning individual computers for sources of attacks and code vulnerability scanners.

The Institute for Information Infrastructure Protection (I3P), a consortium of colleges and U.S. research laboratories, didn't ask for a specific budget Thursday, but challenged the U.S. government and private industry to spend money in eight cybersecurity areas that are under-researched, according to the group.

I3P chairman Michael Vatis jokingly denied starting last weekend's slammer worm attack on the Internet as a way of bringing attention to the R&D needs in cybersecurity. "We're reminded of our vulnerabilities daily, and how vulnerable we are to attacks," he said. "There's a critical piece of this problem that to date has not received the attention and focus that is needed, and that is research and development."

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