Communications of the ACM
Obama Outlines Coordinated Cyber-Security Plan
U.S. President Barack Obama announced that the country's disjointed efforts to "deter, prevent, detect, and defend" against cyberattacks will now be run by the White House, though he promised that he will prohibit the federal government from monitoring "private-sector networks" and Internet traffic used for communications. Obama's announcement accompanied the release of a new government strategy to combat rising computer security threats.
The policy review was not specific on how the administration will turn many of the goals into practical realities or how the turf wars between the Pentagon, the National Security Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, and other agencies would be resolved.
In response to critics who questioned how much authority the new cyberczar will have, Obama said the new coordinator would have "regular access to me," similar to the coordinator of nuclear and conventional threats. Many computer security experts hope President Obama's announcement will mark a turning point in the U.S.'s efforts to fight and reduce the cybersecurity threat, which have been largely unsuccessful so far. Although Obama did not discuss details on expanding the role of the military in offensive, pre-emptive, and defensive cyberoperations, senior officials said the Pentagon planned to create a new cybercommand to organize and train for digital war and to oversee offensive and defensive operations.
From The New York Times
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