Obama announces plans for cybersecurity czar

Jake Widman
Friday, 29 May 2009 23:59

Business IT - Security

U.S. President Barack Obama will name a "cyber czar" to oversee the security of the country's computer networks.

Speaking in Washington, Obama said that U.S. networks are probed or attacked millions of times a day.

"We're not as prepared as we should be, as a government or as a country," he said. "Cyberspace is real, and so is the risk that comes with it."

The recommendation of a cybersecurity chief came after a 60-day review of cybersecurity conducted by administration advisers and completed last month.

Obama presented a five-point plan for raising public awareness of security threats but said the government will not tell private industry how it should approach the problem. He also said the government would not monitor private-sector networks or Internet traffic.

The cyber czar will be in charge of a new White House Office of Cyber Security, reporting to the National Security Council and the National Economic Council.

No names have been mentioned for the post yet, nor has a date been set for its establishment.