President Obama announces US cyber security strategy

Obama: Cyber security is a national priority

US President Barack Obama has announced a new cyber security strategy and the creation of a White House post to personally advise him on protecting the nation’s digital infrastructure.

“This new approach starts from the top with this commitment from me,” said Obama.

“Our digital infrastructure, the networks and computers we depend on every day, will be treated as they should be, as a strategic national asset. Protecting this infrastructure will be a national security priority.”

The appointment of the White House Cyber Security Co-ordinator is yet to be made, but Melissa Hathaway, cyber security chief at the National Security Council, wrote in a blog post on the White House web site that the challenges of delivering the new strategy affect everyone.

“Protecting cyberspace requires strong vision and leadership and will require changes in policy, technology, education, and perhaps law,” she said.

“There are opportunities for everyone - individuals, academia, industry, and governments - to contribute toward this vision.”

The threat of cyber warfare has grown dramatically in recent years, and fears over terrorists attacking electronic infrastructure have raised the issue to the highest political level around the world.

China has repeatedly denied reports of hacking originating from within the country against vital US defence interests, including the Pentagon.

In the UK, the head of MI5 warned firms in November 2007 that China's People's Liberation Army was conducting a concerted campaign of cyber espionage against UK businesses.

And in October 2007 Nato chiefs met to discuss cyber warfare policy after Estonia was almost crippled by a series of co-ordinated attacks - believed to have originated within Russia - on web sites of the Estonian presidency and its parliament, almost all of the country's government ministries, political parties, three of the country's six big news organisations, two of the biggest banks, and firms specialising in communications.