President Obama declared Friday that the country’s disparate efforts to “deter, prevent, detect and defend” against cyberattacks would now be run out of the White House, but he also promised that he would bar the federal government from regular monitoring of “private-sector networks” and the Internet traffic that has become the backbone of American communications.Mr. Obama’s speech, which was accompanied by the release of a long-awaited new government strategy, was an effort to balance the United States’ response to a rising security threat with concerns — echoing back to the debates on wiretapping without warrants in the Bush years — that the government would be regularly dipping into Internet traffic that knew no national boundaries.
http://nytimes.com/2009/05/30/us/politics/30cyber.htmlAlso see:Pentagon Plans New Arm to Wage Cyberspace Wars
The Pentagon plans to create a new military command for cyberspace, administration officials said Thursday, stepping up preparations by the armed forces to conduct both offensive and defensive computer warfare.The military command would complement a civilian effort to be announced by President Obama on Friday that would overhaul the way the United States safeguards its computer networks.Mr. Obama, officials said, will announce the creation of a White House office — reporting to both the National Security Council and the National Economic Council — that will coordinate a multibillion-dollar effort to restrict access to government computers and protect systems that run the stock exchanges, clear global banking transactions and manage the air traffic control system.
http://nytimes.com/2009/05/29/us/politics/29cyber.htmlRemarks by The President on securing our nation’s cyber infrastructure
THE PRESIDENT: Everybody, please be seated. We meet today at a transformational moment — a moment in history when our interconnected world presents us, at once, with great promise but also great peril.Now, over the past four months my administration has taken decisive steps to seize the promise and confront these perils. We’re working to recover from a global recession while laying a new foundation for lasting prosperity. We’re strengthening our armed forces as they fight two wars, at the same time we’re renewing American leadership to confront unconventional challenges, from nuclear proliferation to terrorism, from climate change to pandemic disease. And we’re bringing to government — and to this White House — unprecedented transparency and accountability and new ways for Americans to participate in their democracy.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-on-Securing-Our-Nations-Cyber-Infrastructure/Text: Obama’s Remarks on Cyber-Security
Following is the text of President Obama’s remarks on Friday on a new White House cybersecurity office, as released by the White House.
http://nytimes.com/2009/05/29/us/politics/29obama.text.htmlFending Off Attacks in Cyberspace
President Barack Obama announced on Friday his plan to appoint a new cybersecurity official to coordinate federal efforts to defend vital government and private computer systems from the onslaught of cyberattacks by computer hackers.The administration also plans to create a new military cybercommand that would be able to conduct offensive operations on enemy computers as well as defensive warfare, though those details were not unveiled.Does this approach adequately address holes that exist in cybersecurity? How much focus should be placed on increasing the military’s cyberwarfare capabilities?

• James Bamford, author
• Ron Deibert, University of Toronto
• Marjory S. Blumenthal, C.S.I.S. Commission on Cybersecurity
• Gus Hosein, London School of Economics and Political Science
• Bruce Schneier, security technologist
• Mikko Hypponen, F-Secure Corporation

http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/29/a-plan-of-attack-in-cyberspace/Obama Says He Will Name National Cybersecurity Adviser
President Obama used a White House speech yesterday to try to raise national concern about threats to computer networks, drawing praise from some industry executives and lawmakers but criticism from others who said his initiatives do not go far enough.Obama said he will name a senior White House official to coordinate government efforts to protect a “strategic national asset”: the digital networks that handle phone calls, e-mails, government and military data, and also control power grids, nuclear plants and airplane traffic.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/29/AR2009052900350.htmlObama’s Public-Private Cybersecurity Challenge
Urging Uncle Sam to work with the private sector on information security is smart in theory, but it has proved difficult in practiceAs part of its effort to address national cybersecurity concerns, the Obama Administration is urging closer cooperation between the government and private industry.These so-called public-private partnerships have a mixed track record in curtailing cyber-crime, and security experts said the Administration will have to go to great lengths to ensure its efforts are more successful than those in the past.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2009/tc20090529_293343.htmObama Releases Cybersecurity Report: ‘Much Work to Be Done’
President Barack Obama said Friday that cybersecurity is critically important and an area that the U.S. isn’t “as prepared as we should be,” though he added that he remains committed to net neutrality and personal privacy for Americans.The remarks came as the White House published a 60-day review of the nation’s digital infrastructure.
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/05/29/obama-releases-cybersecurity-report-much-work-to-be-done/Security Experts React to Obama’s Cybersecurity Report
As security experts digested the details of the White House’s cybersecurity report Friday, they applauded the president’s acknowledgement that cyber-attacks threaten national security. But some said the report lacked details, and questions swirled around the effectiveness of a “cybersecurity coordinator.”Earlier Friday, President Barack Obama said that the United States is unprepared for attacks and disruptions to its information and communications networks, echoing warnings in the newly issued cyberspace-policy report.
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/05/29/security-experts-react-to-obamas-cybersecurity-report/Obama to appoint ‘cybersecurity’ chief
President Obama has unveiled sweeping new plans to guard vital US computer networks and data from online attack, announcing a new post of “cyber-tsar” and a strategy for dealing with what he called “weapons of mass disruption”.After a succession of hacking and other episodes have laid bare the gaping holes in America’s online security, Obama called cybersecurity “one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face,” and said he was establishing a White House office to deal with it.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/may/29/obama-cybersecurityUS launches cyber security plan
US President Barack Obama has announced plans for securing American computer networks against cyber attacks. He said that from now on, America’s digital infrastructure would be treated as a strategic national asset. He announced the creation of a cyber security office in the White House, and said he would personally appoint a “cyber tsar”.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8073654.stmObama to appoint cyber-security advisor
Calling protection of government and private computer and communications networks “one of the most serious . . . security challenges we face,” President Obama on Friday said he would appoint a White House advisor to oversee a national effort to improve cyber-security throughout the U.S.The president noted that millions of Americans already had been victimized by computer tampering and that his own campaign computers had been breached by hackers between August and October. Although none of the campaign’s financial files was compromised, Obama said Friday, the campaign had to hire private security advisors.
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-na-cybersecurity30-2009may30,0,6883780.storyObama raises stakes for cybersecurity
America’s economic prosperity in the 21st century will depend on effective cybersecurity, President Obama said Friday as he announced a new comprehensive approach to the issue and promised to appoint a White House cybersecurity czar.During a 16-minute speech to announce the release of a 60-day review of cybersecurity by Melissa Hathaway, acting senior director for cyberspace at the National Security Council, Obama emphasized the importance of safeguarding the nation’s digital infrastructure, which he called “the backbone that underpins a prosperous economy and a strong military, and an open and efficient government.”
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090529_1893.phpObama’s open government initiative thin on collaboration, critics say
As the White House transitions into the second phase of its open government initiative, participants in the first phase said the project has yet to demonstrate a willingness to collaborate between federal officials and the public.”We don’t find the process particularly collaborative at this point,” said Patrice McDermott, director of OpenTheGovernment.org, a transparency advocacy group. “There was a lot of transparency. This was participation, but there was no collaboration with government people and outside government people. We want to make sure this isn’t just transparency theater.”
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090529_2525.phpObama Moves to Curb Data-System Attacks
President Barack Obama said Friday the nation’s digital infrastructure is under near constant attack and confirmed he will create a White House office for cybersecurity, but offered few details of his strategy to counter threats to U.S. data systems.Mr. Obama convened government officials and corporate executives at the White House for a formal announcement of his decision to name a cybersecurity czar, who will effectively serve two masters. The official will be on the staff of both the National Security Council and the National Economic Council.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124362745408767285.htmlObama responds to cyber threat
Barack Obama lifted cyber-security high up his administration’s agenda on Friday as he promised shortly to appoint a White House co-ordinator to oversee policy and responses to threats to government and private communications networks.The US president cited an industry report that put losses from cybercrime – including industrial espionage and identity theft – at $1,000bn, saying the growing dependence on electronic banking and commerce made improved security both a matter of economic necessity and vital to national defence.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/510b7792-4c7c-11de-a6c5-00144feabdc0.htmlObama on cybersecurity: We’re not that prepared
President Obama on Friday said the U.S. government is “not as prepared” as it should be to respond to disruptions caused by computer or Internet attacks and announced that a new cybersecurity coordinator position would be created inside the White House staff.The still-to-be-named coordinator will oversee a new bureaucracy tasked with digital infrastructure protection, which had previously been handled by the Department of Homeland Security. “We will ensure that these networks are secure, trustworthy and resilient,” Obama said. “We will deter, prevent, detect, and defend against attacks and recover quickly from any disruptions or damage.”
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10252154-38.htmlObama’s cybersecurity plan gets cautious praise
President Obama’s plan for securing cyberspace and his creation of a new White House cybersecurity coordinator are being greeted with cautious optimism within the security industry.Many see the strategy as a sign of the administration’s willingness to recognize cyber threats as a national security issue. But until details are fleshed out, it’s hard to know just how far it will go in bolstering the nation’s ability to deal with cyber attacks, they said.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9133687
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/scrt/F3E3EE19DAE1555CCC2575C5007F8259
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/052909-obamas-cybersecurity-plan-gets-cautious.htmlObama Puts Cybersecurity Front And Center As An Economic, Public Safety, And National Security Concern
President Barack Obama today officially announced his plans for a more aggressive policy for cybersecurity — one that starts with a new White House post charged with coordinating policies and initiatives for securing the nation’s digital infrastructure.”This new approach starts at the top, with this commitment from me: From now on, our digital infrastructure — the networks and computers we depend on every day — will be treated as they should be, as a strategic national asset,” Obama said in his remarks Friday morning at a White House briefing in the East Room. “Protecting this infrastructure will be a national security priority. We will ensure that these networks are secure, trustworthy, and resilient. We will deter, prevent, detect, and defend against attacks and recover quickly from any disruptions or damage.”
http://www.darkreading.com/security/government/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=217700876Computer experts hail Obama’s plan for ‘cyber tsar’
Computer security specialists have hailed US President Barack Obama’s plan for a national cyber defenc coordinator, calling the move a laudable first step on a tough road.Obama said he would name a White House “cyber tsar” to deter and defend against mounting criminal, espionage and hacker attacks on US government and private computer networks.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25559861-15306,00.htmlObama’s plan to thwart cyber crime [AFP]
US president Barack Obama says he will name a White House “cyber czar” to deter and defend against mounting criminal, espionage and hacker attacks on US government and private computer networks.”It is the great irony of our information age – the very technologies that empower us to create and to build, also empower those who would seek to disrupt and destroy,” Obama said at the White House on Friday.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/05/30/1243456770832.html
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2009/05/30/1243456770832.html