President Obama's National Cybersecurity Plan

In connection with today's budget roll-out, President Obama has announced a National Cybersecurity Plan. Highlights of his national action plan include the following:

• Creating, by executive order, a new Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity. "The Commission will make recommendations on actions that can be taken over the next decade to strengthen cybersecurity in both the public and private sectors while protecting privacy; maintaining public safety and economic and national security; fostering discovery and development of new technical solutions; and bolstering partnerships between Federal, State, and local government and the private sector in the development, promotion and use of cybersecurity technologies, policies, and best practices."
• Creating a new $3.1 billion federal IT modernization fund to be overseen by a new Federal Chief Information Security Officer.
• Begining a new cybersecurity awareness program that will urge Americans to move beyond passwords to two-factor authentication, and other good cyber hygiene methods
• Creating, again by executive order, a new Federal Privacy Council that will "bring together the privacy officials from across the Government to help ensure the implementation of more strategic and comprehensive Federal privacy guidelines."
• Asking for a 35% increase in overall Federal cybersecurity spending to roughly $19 billion across the government.

It is fair to say that this is a major new initiative. Much of it will require some detailed study to react to. It is also fair to wonder how much of it will outlast the President's term in office. Meanwhile, who wants to join me in applying for the Commission? :-)