President Obama has inherited a $30 billion Comprehensive National Cyber Initiative (CNCI) from the Bush administration, an ambitious project designed to plug the holes that have led to security breaches on government networks. Obama promised during his campaign to elevate cybersecurity to a new national priority and now he has a chance to do it.

In an interview with Forbes magazine, Paul Kurtz, a consultant with Good Harbor LLC who led Obama's transition team's group on cybersecurity, says he envisions big things from the administration. He foresees a "Federal Emergency Management Agency for the Internet"--a central cybersecurity agency built on the model of the Counter-Terrorism Center.

In his interview, he said Obama "understands that cybersecurity is an important national security issue that requires senior-level attention." When asked what keeps him up at night, Kurtz said, "Here are some of my main issues: What happens in the case of a cyber-Katrina? Right now we have a myriad of agencies and no one's at the lead. We've come so close to having massive problems. One of these days we're going to be unlucky, and we don't want to be in a situation of trying to figure out whose problem it is."

For the full interview:
- see this Forbes.com article

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