Obama’s cybersecurity proposals part of decade-old programs

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said Tuesday that recent cyberthreats to Sony and the military’s U.S. Central Command are reminders of the serious threats facing the nation. But an Associated Press review shows that some of his plans are retreads from years past.

Obama laid out his plans this week as part of a push for new cybersecurity legislation — a week before his State of the Union address — that increases government information-sharing and protects businesses from lawsuits for revealing cyberthreats.

Yet the president’s proposals are similar to congressional legislation that has been languishing on Capitol Hill, in part over privacy concerns. The White House is hoping a recent spate of cyberattacks and data breaches — including November’s hacking at Sony Pictures Entertainment, which the administration blamed on North Korea — will spur lawmakers to take up the issue.

Read more: http://tech.thaivisa.com/obamas-cybersecurity-proposals-part-decade-old-programs/2687/

His administration has done some really good work in this area, but unfortunately it goes against the Republican grain because it would cost corporations money to comply.

The breaches are bad enough but a Stuxnet-style attack on a major utility would probably give this the importance it deserves.