US President unveils Cyber Security National action plan

United States President Barack Obama has unveiled a cyber-security national action plan to boost security awareness amid of growing risks from new technologies.

Key Points

Under this action plan, President Obama in his budget request has asked for 19 billion US dollars for cyber-security efforts.

This budgetary request is 35 per cent up from current levels which have 3 billion dollars allocation.

This plan has been earmarked to help modernise the patchwork of computer systems used in government agencies.

The budgetary funds will be used for replacing overhaul of aging government networks and establishing a high-level commission to boost security awareness.

The Obama cyber initiative responds to an epidemic of data breaches and cyber-attacks on both government and private networks in recent years.

Background

Earlier in 2015, a cyber-security bill was also passed which aims to facilitate better cyber threat sharing. The US intelligence agencies has named China, Russia, Iran and North Korea as leading threat actors which pose risks for US cyber security.

Current Affairs 9th February, 2016
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