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President Obama today announced the creation of a new cyber security leadership post as part of an effort to help protect U.S. government and business computer networks. Such networks are "the backbone that underpins a prosperous economy and a strong military," Obama said during a speech at the White House. The president cited estimates that e-commerce alone rang up some $132 billion in sales last year. "But every day we see waves of cyberthieves trolling for sensitive information: the disgruntled employee on the inside, the lone hacker a thousand miles away, organized crime, the industrial spy and, increasingly, foreign intelligence services." Among other examples, Obama referred to an incident in November in which a theft ring initiated fraudulent transactions at more than 130 ATMs in 49 cities within a 30-minute period. He also cited the harm of identity and financial theft on individuals and businesses and revealed his own experience of an information breach. "I know how it feels to have privacy violated because it has happened to me and the people around me," Obama said. "During the general election, hackers managed to penetrate our computer systems." Obama assured campaign donors that their personal and financial information had not been compromised but said hackers had accessed travel schedules, policy papers and other campaign files before the U.S. Secret Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation and a private security firm corrected the problem. In conjunction with the president's speech, the White House released the results of its 60-day Cyberspace Policy Review. The U.S. government will work with the private sector to achieve a variety of goals, including beefing up the security of information and communications infrastructures and strengthening international partnerships, to address global cyber security threats, according to the document, which was completed in April.
