President Obama addresses nation on cyber security

StopBadware manager Maxim Weinstein cheers the new administration's escalation of cyber security — including badware prevention — to a national priority; from the StopBadware.org blog:

Within the past hour, President Obama addressed the nation from the White House to emphasize the importance of cyber security, to announce the release of the administration’s report of its 60-day cyberspace policy review, and to announce the creation of a new White House position, the Coordinator of National Cyber Security.

This represents an enormous step forward in national awareness of the role cyber security in general and malware in particular play in our economy and our physical security. Having the "leader of the free world" describe the threat of botnets and spyware on national television will expand press and citizen interest in this issue.

As important as the threats, though, are the freedoms that the President discussed. He emphasized the importance of preserving both personal privacy and net neutrality while securing our infrastructure. He also pointed out that this will require a collaborative effort amongst individuals, schools, corporations, and governments from the local level through the national level, not just in the U.S., but internationally, as well.

The attention is an important start, but of course execution is the key. Melissa Hathaway, Cybersecurity Chief at the National Security Council, posted some information about the policy review she led, as well as links to the report (PDF) and to the papers that informed the report. Based on a preview of the report that Melissa Hathaway delivered at the Kennedy School last night, I expect the administration is moving in the right direction. I look forward to reading the report, and I encourage others to do so, as well. Meanwhile, it’s up to all of us to work together to build a safer Internet. StopBadware looks forward to playing a role in bringing together the people, the organizations, and the data that make this possible.

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More: OpenNet Initiative Principal Investigator Ron Deibert comments on Obama's announcement in the New York Times' Room for Debate.