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Obama Administration Outlines Plan To Secure IT Infrastructure

Barren of details, it's really not a plan -- yet. But the administration did publish a number of goals aimed at better protecting the nation's critical IT networks.

There are plenty of partnerships planned with private industry and academia in the broad agenda published at WhiteHouse.gov when it comes to securing information systems and networks. Unfortunately, the more I read what was outlined, the more I realize that we've not moved the ball very far since 2002.

Here's what the administration detailed as its high-level objectives to build a secure and resilient IT infrastructure:

Strengthen Federal Leadership on Cybersecurity: Declare the cyberinfrastructure a strategic asset and establish the position of national cyber adviser, who will report directly to the president and will be responsible for coordinating federal agency efforts and development of national cyberpolicy.

Initiate a Safe Computing R&D Effort and Harden our Nation's Cyberinfrastructure: Support an initiative to develop next-generation secure computers and networking for national security applications. Work with industry and academia to develop and deploy a new generation of secure hardware and software for our critical cyber infrastructure.

Protect the IT Infrastructure That Keeps America's Economy Safe: Work with the private sector to establish tough new standards for cybersecurity and physical resilience.

Prevent Corporate Cyberespionage: Work with industry to develop the systems necessary to protect our nation's trade secrets and our research and development. Innovations in software, engineering, pharmaceuticals, and other fields are being stolen online from U.S. businesses at an alarming rate.

Develop a Cybercrime Strategy to Minimize the Opportunities for Criminal Profit: Shut down the mechanisms used to transmit criminal profits by shutting down untraceable Internet payment schemes. Initiate a grant and training program to provide federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies the tools they need to detect and prosecute cybercrime.

Mandate Standards for Securing Personal Data and Require Companies to Disclose Personal Information Data Breaches: Partner with industry and our citizens to secure personal data stored on government and private systems. Institute a common standard for securing such data across industries and protect the rights of individuals in the information age.

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