May 29, 2009 By Matt Williams
A report released Friday by the White House says the nation must get serious and coordinate action to secure the government's vulnerable computer infrastructure, and calls upon state, local and tribal governments to elevate cyber-security as an issue.
The report, led by National Security Cyber-Security Chief Melissa Hathaway, was prompted by a 60-day cyber-space policy review ordered by President Barack Obama. The president said Friday he will appoint a cyber-security official and new office that will coordinate the nation's cyber-security policy, a recommendation of the review team.
The report also suggests updating the national strategy for cyber-security and incident response, implementing a national education campaign about cyber-threats, and building an identity management vision for the country, among several other goals.
Gopal Khanna, the CIO of Minnesota and the president of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers, said Friday the report is a "giant step" in the national conversation about cyber-security threats.
"State CIOs have been talking for the longest about the need for cyber-security readiness in a much larger way, so for us it's heartening to see this report because now it has grabbed some national attention, and will grab the attention of the president, obviously, and governors and lawmakers all across the country. The state CIOs have been on the front end of this conversation for several years now," Khanna said.
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