Obama Lays Out Plans for 'Cyber Czar'

The US has for too long failed to protect the security of its computer networks, President Obama said today, announcing he will name a new cyber czar to take on the job. This is a "transformational moment" for the country, Obama said, with computer networks probed and attacked millions of times a day. "We're not as prepared as we should be, as a government or as a country." No word yet on when the new czar will be named.

Laying out a broad five-point plan, Obama said the US must provide the education necessary to maintain a cyber-savvy work force, and he called for a campaign to raise public awareness about cyber security threats. "Cyberspace is real, and so is the risk that comes with it," he said. He assured the business community, however, that the government will not dictate how private industry should tighten digital defenses. (More Barack Obama stories.)