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Cybersecurity Announcement: Obama Moves in the Right Direction

There will be a lot of legitimate critiquing of President Obama's cybersecurity plan. But CSO Senior Editor Bill Brenner believes he deserves credit for moving the issue higher up the nation's priority list.

By Bill Brenner, Senior Editor

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This is arguably the biggest spotlight a president has shined on the issue to date. By creating a White House-based position to coordinate cybersecurity efforts across the federal government, Obama is making it clear that the various agencies can no longer shrug off the problem as the Department of Homeland Security's problem.

His announcement will by no means be ironclad against criticism. Some security experts have already frowned upon reports that the new cybersecurity czar will not have direct, unfettered access to the Oval Office as had been suggested earlier. Rather, according to the Associated Press, the post will carry a special assistant title that's not as high in the White House hierarchy as some officials sought. As the AP reported, the official would report to senior NSC officials -- a structure many say will stifle attempts to usher in major changes within the federal bureaucracy.

But it appears this person will be much closer to the Oval Office than those who have labored in frustration inside DHS in recent years.

And while we've all been calling for better user awareness and education, a lot more people listen outside security circles when it's coming from the president.

So don't look for perfection today. But do have hope that we are at least moving in the right direction.

About FUD Watch: Senior Editor Bill Brenner scours the Internet in search of FUD - overhyped security threats that ultimately have little impact on a CSO's daily routine. The goal: help security decision makers separate the hot air from genuine action items. To point us toward the industry's most egregious FUD, send an e-mail to bbrenner@cxo.com.