Obama vows to prioritize cybersecurity

0 Comments | USA TODAY, June, 2009 | by Byron Acohido

President Obama's call for the U.S. to commence a collaborative push to make the Internet safer is winning widespread praise.

Now comes the hard part: making it so.

Obama surprised many on Friday by not naming a cybersecurity czar, as expected. Instead, he laid out an ambitious plan for stemming cyberthreats, and said he would personally select a "cybersecurity coordinator" who would have "regular access to me" to lead the charge. The new adviser will be responsible for securing federal systems and creating partnerships with state, local and private-sector entities to respond to cyberattacks. He or she will also work with the private sector to coordinate stronger security standards, spur research and development, and launch a national education campaign.

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