Bush administration holdover Melissa Hathaway will lead a 60-day review of federal systems as part of Obama's effort to establish just how secure federal systems and networks are.President Obama ordered his National Security
and Homeland Security advisors Feb. 9 to conduct an immediate review of the
U.S. government's cyber-security plans, programs, and activities. Heading the 60-day
review will be Melissa Hathaway, who served as the cyber-security coordinator
executive under Mike McConnell, former President Bush's Director of National
Intelligence.
Hathaway was also named a senior director at the National Security Council and
numerous media accounts have mentioned her as a top candidate to serve as Obama's
cyber-security chief. A former Booz Allen consultant, Hathaway led a group that
developed Bush's National Cybersecurity Initiative.
"The national security and economic health of the United States depend on
the security, stability and integrity of our nation's cyberspace, both in the
public and private sectors," John Brennan, assistant to the president for
Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, said in a White House statement. "The
President is confident that we can protect our nation's critical cyber-infrastructure
while at the same time adhering to the rule of law and safeguarding privacy
rights and civil liberties."
On several occasions while campaigning for the presidency, Obama stressed the
importance of beefing up the United States' cyber-security efforts while at the same time
protecting privacy rights. At a campaign stop in Indiana, Obama said, "We need to build the capacity to
identify, isolate and respond to any cyber-attack. And we need to develop new
standards for the cyber-security that protects our most important
infrastructure, from electrical grids to sewage systems, from air traffic
control to our markets."
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