Melissa Hathaway, acting US senior director for cyberspace, gave
little away about the
Obama administration's 60-day review in her keynote at the
RSA Conference 2009 in San Francisco yesterday.
The review report, completed in mid-April, includes
recommendations for cybersecurity improvements and an action plan
for identifying the areas of improvement.
The report itself is due soon, sparking some speculation ahead
of Hathaway's appearance at the RSA Conference that the report
would be released yesterday, or at least some details revealed.
Hathaway said the report outlines the beginning of a way forward
in building a reliable, resilient, trustworthy digital
infrastructure for the future.
"It provides the president with recommendations for a White
House organisational structure that can effectively address
cyberspace-related issues," she said.
According to Hathaway, the findings of the report will be
discussed publicly only once the president and his administration
have had an opportunity to review it.
However, Hathaway indicated that the US would not be tackling
the challenge of cybersecurity in isolation.
"There is a unique opportunity for the United States to work
with countries around the world to make the digital infrastructure
a safe and secure place that drives prosperity and innovation for
all nations," she said.
In line with the emerging theme of co-operation at the RSA
Conference, Hathaway said it was only through partnerships
nationally and internationally that cybersecurity can be
improved.
While the federal government has the responsibility to protect
and defend the country, the private sector designs, builds, owns,
and operates most of the digital infrastructures.
"Cybersecurity isn't only the responsibility of governments and
corporations, but that of individuals, including each of us here
today, as well," she said.