Microsoft Corporate Vice President for Trustworthy Computing Scott Charney has made President Obama's short list to become the nation's cyber-czar, according to reports. Also on the list are Sun Microsystems Distinguished Engineer Susan Landau and Paul Kurtz, who led Obama's cyber-security transition team.Scott Charney, head of Microsoft's cyber-security
division, and Paul Kurtz, who led Obama's cyber-security transition team, are
heading the list to serve as President Obama's new cyber-security czar,
according to Reuters.
Citing unnamed sources, Reuters also said former Rep. Tom Davis, Sun Microsystems executive Susan
Landau, NSA and FBI veteran Maureen Baginski, and former Assistant Secretary of
Defense Frank Kramer are on the Obama short list. Melissa Hathaway, who led a
cyber-security review for the president, and James Lewis of the Center for
Strategic and International Studies are also under consideration.
Speculation has swirled through Washington over the new cyber-czar since May 29 when Obama
unveiled Hathaway's review (PDF) and pledged to create a
cyber-security adviser with access to the White House.
"Because of the critical importance of this work, I will personally select
this official. I'll depend on this official in all matters relating to cyber-security,
and this official will have my full support and regular access to me as we
confront these challenges," Obama said in the speech.
The cyber-security review said the United States needs to strike a balance between ensuring security
and protecting civil liberties. In addition to building a framework for
incident response, the report calls for encouraging innovation in the security
industry, promoting security awareness and building up the federal IT work
force.
"From now on our digital infrastructure, the networks and computers we
depend on everyday, will be treated as they should beas a strategic national
asset," Obama said at a news conference. "Protecting this
infrastructure will be a national security priority. We will ensure that these
networks are secure, trustworthy and resilient."