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Executive Order Receives Mixed Reviews
Right in line with the rumors, President Obama last week issued the much anticipated executive order on cybersecurity just hours before making his State of the Union address.
The executive order, similar to previously leaked drafts, calls for the private sector to work –on a voluntary basis– with the government to protect the nation’s critical infrastructure and information from looming cyber threats.
“The cyber threat to critical infrastructure continues to grow and represents one of the most serious national security challenges we must confront,” stated the E.O. “It is the policy of the United States to enhance the security and resilience of the Nation’s critical infrastructure and to maintain a cyber environment that encourages efficiency, innovation, and economic prosperity while promoting safety, security, business confidentiality, privacy, and civil liberties.”
However, critics of the executive order were quick to claim that it would not provide a clear path forward for maintaining privacy and civil liberties. Read more…
White House Cyber Order and Renewed CISPA Both Expected This Week
The White House may move to issue its long-anticipated executive order on cybersecurity this week, according to sources familiar with the plan.
The executive order, which the Obama administration has reportedly been revising for over six months, could be made public following the president’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night, sources told Bloomberg.
If issued, according to a recent leaked draft, the executive order would set voluntary cybersecurity standards for private sector entities controlling U.S. critical infrastructure, including a program for those companies to disclose cyber threat information to the federal government. Read more…
Fortune 500 Companies Back Cyber Reform
Many Fortune 500 companies support legislation to reform the nation’s current cybersecurity efforts, according to a new Senate survey.
Just one week after the Senate introduced the Cybersecurity and American Cyber Competitiveness Act, co-sponsor of the legislation, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), on Wednesday released findings from the survey, noting that many of the nation’s top companies are open to the idea of a voluntary federal cybersecurity program.
According to the report, many Fortune 500 companies agreed that a voluntary program would enable the private sector to work with the government to protect the country’s critical information and infrastructure from cyber attacks. Read more…
Cybersecurity News 