Obama mulls government cybersecurity shake up

The Obama administration announced late Friday that it has received a report on the state of the government's readiness to deal with cybersecurity threats. The aim of the presidential 60-day review was to see how the government can better manage information security and protect against foreign and domestic threats.

High-ranking officials have publicly acknowledged that government computer systems, including those of the Pentagon and the State Department, are under constant attack from foreign nations including China. At the heart of the review is an assessment of who should control government cybersecurity efforts, with a major fight brewing between the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency. Earlier reports suggested that the cyber initiatives under Obama might be managed out of the White House.

A White House press release announcing the completion of the review said the purpose was to "develop a strategic framework to ensure that our initiatives in this area are integrated, resourced and coordinated appropriately, both within the Executive Branch and with Congress and the private sector."

"The report being submitted summarizes the review team's conclusions and outlines the beginning of the way forward in building a reliable, resilient, trustworthy digital infrastructure for the future," said the White House statement. "It provides to the president recommendations regarding an optimal White House organizational structure to address cyberspace-related issues and includes an action plan on identifying and prioritizing further work in this area."

For more on government cybersecurity:
- see this Newsweek article