Computer security: Obama to appoint ‘cybersecurity’ chief to secure US networks from attack

The White House has outlined its plans to secure US computer networks from attack President Obama has unveiled sweeping new plans to guard vital US computer networks and data from online attack, announcing a new post of "cyber-tsar" and a strategy for dealing with what he called "weapons of mass disruption". After a succession of hacking and other episodes have laid bare the gaping holes in America's online security, Obama called cybersecurity "one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face," and said he was establishing a White House office to deal with it. "Cyberspace is real, and so is the risk that comes with it," the president said, adding that the new cybersecurity chief would oversee and coordinate internet defences across government. Separately, the New York Times reported that the Pentagon plans to create a new military command for cyberspace, stepping up preparations by the armed forces to conduct both offensive and defensive computer warfare. The unit would complement Obama's civilian structure in the White House, the paper said. Obama did not mention the military aspect of cyber-security. "From now on our digital infrastructure will be treated as a strategic national asset," Obama said. "Protecting this infrastructure will be a national security priority. We will deter, prevent, detect and defend against attacks and recover quickly." The decision to appoint an individual to orchestrate cyberdefence is the result of a 60-day review into the country's online security, conducted by former Bush administration adviser Melissa Hathaway. The report, which has been in the hands of White House officials for the past month, details America's weak points and suggests a series of improvements that could guard against hackers who want to bring down vital parts of the government, businesses and the communications network. "It's clear that we're not as prepared as we should be," said Obama. "Just as we failed to invest in our physical infrastructure, we have failed to invest in our digital infrastructure. No single agency has the responsibility or the authority to match the scope and scale of the challenge." The appointment of a cybersecurity coordinator is a concerted attempt to improve America's online defence capabilities, bringing together many different strands of security. Until now, different aspects of cyber-defence have been the responsibility of a string of organisations, leaving officials in the National Security Agency, Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon battling each other for supremacy.

Original post: 
Computer security: Obama to appoint 'cybersecurity' chief to secure US networks from attack