President Obama: focus on cybercrime

Nowadays cybersecurity is vital to everything we do. How often do you use a computer? How much of your sensitive information is stored either on your own computer or on someone else's system? It seems that everything depends on computers and the Internet, starting from shopping and communication to education and banking. 

In a press conference last week, President Obama called cybersecurity "one of the most serious economic and security challenges we face as a nation." Cyberattacks on computer networks could be as dangerous and destructive as an attack carried out by a bomber or conventional forces. 

The president declared that the digital infrastructure we depend on every day is a strategic national asset, so keeping it secure must be a top national priority. "Cyberspace is real and so are the risks that come with it," said Obama. According to an industry report, the losses from hackers, cyberspies and identity thieves reach $1,000bn. 

President Obama said that he is worried about "a weapon of mass disruption" from terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda. At the age of digital technologies they can attack civilian and military targets with just a few clicks of the mouse. 

In order to improve the way the US defends itself against Internet-borne threats, President Obama presented the Cyberspace Policy Review. It contains a range of recommendations and plans to improve online security and protect critical infrastructure.

The Review designates a direction of the US cybersecurity policy under the new Administration. First of all, the president will personally select a cybersecurity coordinator - or “cyber czar” - to head up a new White House office. This person will be responsible for working closely with federal budget decision-makers, and coordinating with other agencies in the event of cyber threats. 

The other near term action plans include:
•    Develop a comprehensive national strategy to secure the information and communications infrastructure.
•    Use appropriate interagency mechanisms to analyze cybersecurity-related issues
•    Clarify roles, responsibilities, and the application of agency authorities to combat cyber attacks
•    Increase public awareness of cyber-security issues 
•    Foster international cooperation and collaboration with regard to cybersecurity.
•    Develop national incident response framework 
•    Initiate strong partnerships and communication between the public and private sector 
•    investment into preventative processes, technologies, and infrastructure

President Obama promised to respect the civil liberties of individual Internet users and the rights of the private corporations. So the new cybersecurity strategy will not include monitoring of private internet communications. 

The downside of the Cyberspace Policy Review is that it lacked detail, so there is even more hard work to be done. President Obama didn't name a cybersecurity appointee or defined his/her exact role. And you might wonder what terms such as “public awareness” and “partnerships between the public and private sector” actually mean. However, the Cyberspace Policy Review puts together, for the first time, well-considered steps that can lead to a more secure Internet down the road.