President Obama has given orders for an immediate review of government IT systems, which often have more vulnerabilities than people imagine – and that could mean billions in contracts to secure the infrastructure.
The review will be led by Melissa Hathaway, former Cyber coordination Executive to the Director of National Intelligence. She’s already set up online security for different US intelligence services.
Assistant to the President for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security John Brennan said:
"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."
“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.”
It was only in November that a Congressional panel warned that China was stealing information from US computer networks, and the following month a Commission on Cybersecurity report stated:
"Cybersecurity is now one of the major national security problems facing the United States."
That work will be needed is inevitable, and that’s what excites the private companies, as there will be billions of dollars in contracts going up for tender – a very juicy apple in a tight economy.
