U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to name a cyber-security czar this week and release the results of the 60-day review on cyber-security he ordered earlier this year. The review was completed last month but has been under wraps since then.U.S. President Barack
Obama is expected to name a cyber-security czar and release the
much-anticipated results of an extensive security review of the countrys cyber
infrastructure on Friday, according
to press reports.
The cyber-security
position will be part of a newly consolidated body of advisers composed of
members of the White House National Security Council and the Homeland Security
Council. According to the
Washington Post, the person is expected to report to the National Security
Advisor.
Cyber-security has been a
focus for the Obama administration early on. In February, the president ordered
a 60-day review of the government's cyber-security. The review, which was led
by Melissa Hathaway, was completed last month. At
the
RSA
Conference
in April, Hathaway, a former Bush administration aide, described securing
cyberspace as one of the most serious economic and national security challenges
the country faces. Protecting the countrys infrastructure will take a
cooperative approach involving academia, government and the private sector, she
told conference attendees.
The
United States really is
at a crossroads, she said at the time, adding the White House needed to take
the lead.
In the months since Obama
ordered the review, there have been reports of hackers
targeting the nations energy infrastructure as well as getting their hands
on terabytes of data associated with a Pentagon weapons program.