President Obama signed an executive order to increase America’s defenses against cyber security before highlighting the need for it in his State of the Union Tuesday.
The Executive Order will work together with the Presidential Policy Directive on Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience that the White House also released today.
“America must also face the rapidly growing threat from cyber-attacks,” Obama said. “We know hackers steal people’s identities and infiltrate private e-mail. We know foreign countries and companies swipe our corporate secrets. Now our enemies are also seeking the ability to sabotage our power grid, our financial institutions, and our air traffic control systems. We cannot look back years from now and wonder why we did nothing in the face of real threats to our security and our economy.”
Obama focused on improving cyber security for the defense industrial base, which is one of the top targets for foreign hackers. His executive order streamlines the amount of information sharing within the U.S. defense industrial base on real time cyber threats.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology will also work with companies to make sure that best practices are shared throughout the nation’s corporate infrastructure.
“I signed a new executive order that will strengthen our cyber defenses by increasing information sharing, and developing standards to protect our national security, our jobs, and our privacy,” Obama said.
The president’s order also directs government agencies to review cyber security regulations. Dated regulations must be replaced by more modern ones to keep up with the evolving issue, the president directs.
Congress tried to pass cyber legislation twice last year. The Cybersecurity Act failed the second time in November although Republican and Democrat lawmakers claim it has bipartisan support.
“Now, Congress must act as well, by passing legislation to give our government a greater capacity to secure our networks and deter attacks,” the president said Tuesday.
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
Knowing him this is a EO to spend more money we dont have on nothing!!!
This is just a stepping stone to allow government to completely take over the internet when it wants. The naive will think I'm talking rhetoric, but the writing is on the wall.
This has nothing to do with controlling the internet. It has to do with protecting critical infrastructures (electric, nuclear, water, gas, etc…).
just ignore him, he is still mad about his candidate losing
naive.
bet you also believed that illiterate peasants pulled off the ultra-sophisticated controlled demolitions on 9-11 using high-tech incendiaries prepared using primitive cookwares in their caves in Afghanistan.
Everything this president says he will do he has donwe the exact opposite of. What happened to that infrastructure building from the stimulus? I haven't seen any at all
Exactly. Hilary Clinton first advocated it publicly on behalf of the shadow powers. Now Obama is implementing it. In their defense, they do need to follow orders of their sponsors. That's why they are in office in the first place.
For once I agree with you.
We have a National Nightmare occupying the White House.
This skinny, Socialist Puke is seeking to destroy this country from within.
Anything that can be done to STOP this Broom Pusher – I'm for that.
Seems like a few people need to get back on their meds.
Prove us wrong. I'm waiting….
You Left-Wing Morons are so predictable …
Everyone of you think that those who don't agree with you …
Need to get "back on there meds" – you dummies need to be in strait-jackets.
The sooner the better.
When is that ever been acceptable logic? You're the one making superfluous claims that or elected Commander and Chief is somehow subverting our constitutional rights. Then you suggest that you're the one that needs to be proved wrong. When you make an extraordinary claim you're the one that need to back it up.__Reality check! All your freedoms that existed under the Bush administration are still there and now under Obama's administration Americans in general have more right. Gay marriage and healthcare to name some popular hot topics. __What has Obama done to warrant such irrational hate? Did he create an absurd branch of the government that has to monitor all our travel movements on aircraft? Did he enact laws that allow the government to access our private conversations? Did he start a war which had no purpose? No. Those were all from the last administration. I'm under the rationale belief that Bush was trying to do what he thought was best for our nation. I respect that even though i didn't agree with all his decisions.__What's your reason then?
Obama is either delusional or lying … or both.
You Left-Wing jackasses continue to defend the indefensible.
We all must be RACISTS if we disagree with the JOKE in the White House.
Shame on you Left-Wing SOBS – you policies will kill us all.
You should consider getting back on your meds … and increasing the dosage.
Half of the articles on here talk about new Chinese technology and all comments surmise how it was stolen from the US, yet when it formally gets the presidents attention, you all freak out. Hate Obama for what he DOES, not for what you think hes going to do.
You hold no clout in an argument if you automatically disagree with anything and everything he says; pick and chose your battles.
tnk god. we really need some better defence from cyber attacks. a cyber 9/11 can be really bad for the U.S glad to see that some one is taking the threat seriously
Lets see him do it.
IE make cybersecurity Happen.
As an IT professional myself now (fresh outta the service), I can say without hesitation that this is a very serious issue that needs attention. We're not even a major company and hacking attempts (and periodic successes) happen regularly. They're not taking anything when they succeed (that I know of at any rate). I don't think they're actually interested in the company, I think they're just training. I shudder to think what would happen if they hit air traffic control systems.
Some here say people are being conspiracy theorist about this but in reality its only logical.
Oh it will take 10 years but eventually the US will have a government controlled Internet. It fits the pattern perfectly. Government must have control over the internet because it has established it over everything else.
That isnt conspiracy theories thats reality. The question is what type of government will we have when they do.
I very rarely comment when the discussion gets political because the truth is most people already have there mind made up and strangely enough it usually seems to follow party line, but I hope this sinks in. Our entire country is dependent onthe internet. Our infrastructure would fall apart with any significant attack on the internet. As someone involved in IT let me tell you that we have not put enough time into proper cyber security
And handing our cyber security over to the benevolent government is just asking to have them slowly take it over. It is what they have done with just about everything else we have given them.
Apparently you didn't read the whole thing. This is for the defense industrial base. As in the military and critical government systems. He's not going to secure your computer. Do you think it would be better that we do nothing and continue to give our research data away to Chinese and middle east hackers. You tell me is it better not to secure our power grid and let hackers shut off the lights or reroute airplanes into eachother because you don't like the person who signed the executive order?