Speaking at the RSA computer security conference in San Francisco on Wednesday, acting White House Cyberspace Director Melissa Hathaway announced plans to shift more responsibility for cybersecurity to the White House.
Citing a 60-day review of the U.S. government's cybersecurity efforts, Hathaway said the report, "provides the president with recommendations for a White House organizational structure that can effectively address cyberspace-related issues."
Currently, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) coordinates nonmilitary cybersecurity activities. DHS is responsible for building a national "response system" for online attacks and creating a "risk management program" for critical infrastructure.
"This responsibility transcends the jurisdictional purview of individual departments and agencies because, although each agency has a unique contribution to make, no single agency has a broad enough perspective to match the sweep of the challenges," Hathaway said.
A bipartisan group of politicians, technologists and cybersecurity specialists believe the nation's computer security systems have reached a crisis point and recommended in a report that a White House "czar" is needed to focus on implementing new technologies and policies. The White House agrees.
"Protecting cyberspace requires strong vision and leadership and will require changes in policy, technology, education, and perhaps law," Hathaway said. "Achieving this vision requires leadership and commitment from the highest levels of government, industry, and civil society."
Should private sector firms like Cisco, Microsoft, Google, AT&T and others continue to provide the safety and security of the Internet by selling products and services to the companies that operate on the World Wide Web? Or should the government take control of cybersecurity?
You decide.
White House Seeks Control Over Cybersecurity
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