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In a speech from the White House East Room, President Obama today <span style="font-weight: bold">declared the country's computer and digital networks a "strategic national asset</span>" and said he would personally select a cybersecurity coordinator to spearhead the effort to protect them.
"We're not as prepared as we should be, as a government or as a country," he said, in an effort to bring to the nation's attention what he termed one of the most serious economic and military dangers threatening the country.
He laid out the threat, noting that in the last two years alone, cyber thieves have cost Americans more than $8 billion and that last year worldwide they stole data worth up to $1 trillion. He described how even his own presidential campaign network had been compromised last fall, with hackers gaining access to policy position papers and travel plans.
In a serious attack on the military network last year, he said, several thousand computers were infected by malware, forcing troops to abandon use of thumb drives, changing the way they use computers.
"Protecting this infrastructure will be a national security priority," he said. "We will ensure that these networks are secure, trustworthy and resilient. We will deter, prevent and... defend against attacks and recover quickly from any disruptions or damage."
<span style="font-weight: bold">The new cyber czar, who he has not yet chosen, will be a member of the National Security Council and National Economic Council.</span> He or she will head a new White House cyber office that will work closely with the Office of Management and Budget to ensure agency budgets reflect cyber security policies, he said, and in the event of a major cyber attack, coordinate the government's response.
<span style="font-weight: bold">The office will include an official dedicated to protecting privacy and civil liberties, Obama said. </span>
In an attempt to assuage concerns about government monitoring of Americans' emails and phone calls, he stressed that the new effort would not include "monitoring private sector networks or Internet traffic."
<span style="font-weight: bold">The announcement coincided with the release of a 38-page report that outlines a broad strategy to strengthen cybersecurity.</span> The report is intended as a roadmap with substantive policies to be worked out later.
The initial response to the speech was positive.
"The president's engaged. He's informed on the issues. He's making a commitment," said Amit Yoran, a former senior cyber official at the Department of Homeland Security under the Bush administration, who was among more than 120 industry, academic and government officials attending the speech.
The plan is "pretty good," said James A. Lewis, executive director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th Presidency, whose report last December was influential in shaping the current strategy. "This is really the first time a president has talked about this issue" in public from the White House, he said.
<span style="font-weight: bold"> bwoy, him alone a create more job dan anyting fi real..wonda how a one can cop one a dem job yah weh him a gi weh so</span>
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