America
Obama pushes for cybersecurity, urges firms to share data
Washington, Feb 14
US President Barack Obama
signed an executive order Friday urging companies to share cybersecurity
threat information among themselves and with the government.
The
executive order encourages the creation of Information Sharing and
Analysis Organisations (ISAOs), which may be formed as for-profit or
non-profit entities, to improve cybersecurity collaboration, according
to a Xinhua report.
Such organisations "play an invaluable role in the collective cybersecurity of the United States," Obama said in the order.
He
also directed the department of homeland security to fund the creation
of a non-profit organisation to develop a common set of voluntary
standards for ISAOs.
"Developing this baseline will enable ISAOs
to quickly demonstrate their policies and security protocols to
potential partners," a White House statement said.
"This will
make collaboration safer, faster, and easier, and ensure greater
coordination within the private sector to respond to cyber threats,"
said the statement.
The White House also said that the order
complemented the administration's legislative proposal in January that
wanted companies to share more information about cyber attacks with the
government as well.
The order is part of the Obama administration's efforts to strengthen US cybersecurity defences.
Earlier
this week, Lisa Monaco, Obama's homeland security and counter-terrorism
adviser, announced the formation of a new agency called Cyber Threat
Intelligence Integration Centre to coordinate cyber threat assessments
among existing units.
Cybersecurity has become a big issue
after the hacking attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment last year,
purportedly over the controversial film “The Interview†which led to the
theft of extensive amounts of Sony employee data.
Following the
attack, Sony was forced to cancel the Christmas day release of the film,
which allegedly showed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in poor light.
The
US blamed North Korea for the attack and decided to impose sanctions on
it, with President Obama calling it an act of "cybervandalismâ€.