We all know the importance of cybersecurity. Your day-to-day routine probably requires the management of numerous passwords and involves countless connections to websites that could pose a hazard to your personal identity. As we’ve seen from recent events, everyone, including well-known celebrities, is vulnerable to an online attack at any time.
But Internet security is not just a personal safety concern these days. It is also an international security issue, and the United States government has taken several steps to treat is as such.
In 2009, President Obama appointed an Executive Branch Cybersecurity Coordinator to oversee cybersecurity at a national level, as part of the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI) enacted by President Bush the year before. The Executive Branch Cybersecurity Coordinator works directly with both state governments and the private sector to create a unified plan of defense against cyber attacks.
The updated CNCI is comprised of 12 initiatives that aim to protect the United States against current threats and to prepare us for threats that may arise in the future. You can read about these initiatives in more detail here.
And of course, it follows that an issue of national security becomes an issue of international concern. NATO leaders are currently holding a summit in Wales where cybersecurity is expected to be a prominent big topic on the table. Allegedly, leaders are expected to endorse a policy explicitly stating that cyber attacks can trigger the alliance’s mutual defense obligations. That’s huge. Stay tuned to Keeper’s Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin pages for updates.