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 country’s 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 theWashington 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 country’s 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 nation’s energy infrastructure as well as getting their hands on terabytes of data associated with a Pentagon weapons program.