Foreign Policy

Cybersecurity

“America’s economic prosperity, national security, and our individual liberties depend on our commitment to securing cyberspace and maintaining an open, interoperable, secure, and reliable Internet. Our critical infrastructure continues to be at risk from threats in cyberspace, and our economy is harmed by the theft of our intellectual property. Although the threats are serious and they constantly evolve, I believe that if we address them effectively, we can ensure that the Internet remains an engine for economic growth and a platform for the free exchange of ideas.”

President Obama



Five Things to Know: The Administration's Priorities on Cybersecurity

  1. Protecting the country's critical infrastructure — our most important information systems — from cyber threats. 
  2. Improving our ability to identify and report cyber incidents so that we can respond in a timely manner.
  3. Engaging with international partners to promote internet freedom and build support for an open, interoperable, secure, and reliable cyberspace.
  4. Securing federal networks by setting clear security targets and holding agencies accountable for meeting those targets.
  5. Shaping a cyber-savvy workforce and moving beyond passwords in partnership with the private sector. 

Cyberspace touches nearly every part of our daily lives. It's the broadband networks beneath us and the wireless signals around us, the local networks in our schools and hospitals and businesses, and the massive grids that power our nation. It's the classified military and intelligence networks that keep us safe, and the World Wide Web that has made us more interconnected than at any time in human history. We must secure our cyberspace to ensure that we can continue to grow the nation’s economy and protect our way of life.

The Administration is employing the following principles in its approach to strengthen cybersecurity:

  • Whole-of-government approach
  • Network defense first
  • Protection of privacy and civil liberties
  • Public-private collaboration
  • International cooperation and engagement

On February 12, 2013, President Obama signed Executive Order 13636, “Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity.” Read more about Executive Order 13636.