The search for a
U.S.cyber-security coordinator has officially ended.
After months of searching, U.S. President Barack Obama selected Howard Schmidt to step into the role. Schmidt, president and
CEOof the Information Security Forum, has served as chief security officer
for Microsoft and as chief information security officer at eBay.
His selection comes 10 months after Obama ordered an administration review
of the nation’s cyber-security, and at a time when increasing attention
is being paid to cyber-threats against the country’s critical
infrastructure. In recent months, there have been a number of
examples of high-profile breaches and attacks, from cyber-assaults on
the electric grid to Iraqi militants intercepting unencrypted video
feeds from
U.S.military drones.
According
to Schmidt, he has been tasked with focusing on several key areas:
developing a new comprehensive strategy to secure American networks,
ensuring an organized response to cyber-incidents,
strengthening international partnerships and promoting research and
development of new technologies. He also will be in charge of leading a
national campaign to increase awareness of cyber-threats.
“I’m
honored to have been selected by President Obama, and look forward to
returning to public service working with both his national security and
economic counsels,” Schmidt said in a speech.
“In
our digital world, the information technologies we depend on every day
present us with both great opportunity and great danger for our
national security, public safety and our economic competitiveness as
well as our personal privacy…our dependency on these wonderful
technologies continues to increase with each new innovation, as does
our shared responsibility to protect our security and our privacy,” he
said.
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