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President Obama
It seems that everything relies on computers and the internet now — Cyber security involves protecting that online information by preventing, detecting, and responding to attacks. Some attacks are more serious than others. Among these attacks are viruses erasing entire computer systems, someone breaking into a system and altering files, or someone breaking in and stealing personal information and committing fraud or identity theft.
During Obama’s presidential campaign, he pledged to bump up the issue of cybersecurity to "top priority" and appoint a national cybersecurity adviser. And it seems he is gearing up to honor that promise. The commitment was to establish the proper structure within the government to ensure cybersecurity issues continue to receive top-level attention and enhanced coordination.
This new official would develop a strategy to protect the nation's government-run and private computer networks. The idea is have a senior official who can contact the president, directly.
Obama also promises to bar the Federal government from regular monitoring of “private sector networks” and Internet traffic. Unlike the Bush years when the government’s strategy was to regularly dip into Internet traffic that knows no national boundaries.
With his announcement will come the release of a 40-page report that evaluates the government's cybersecurity initiatives and policies. President Obama will also distribute this report to the public and to companies that are most vulnerable to cyber attack; Mr. Bush’s strategy was entirely classified.
The report states, the cybersecurity official will report to the national security and economic advisers which suggests the White House wants to ensure a balance between Homeland Security and economic concerns. A key role in the cybersecurity will be to protect private networks while not threatening economic growth.
It is not known yet how Obama will turn many of the cybersecurity goals into practical realities, and he has said nothing about resolving the running turf wars between the Pentagon, the National Security Agency, the Homeland Security Department and other agencies over the protocol of handling defensive and offensive cyber operations.
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