At a time when online or digital security has become a big concern for the countries around the world, US President Barack Obama’s administration is likely to officially announce set up of a new agency dedicated towards maintaining cyber security and offer safe and secure online activities in the country.
A senior administration official on Tuesday said that the government is likely to formally announce the set-up of a new cyber security agency, named ‘Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center (CTIIC)’.
The CTIIC will be modeled on the National Counterterrorism Center.
The official said it is part of “a comprehensive strategy to tackle what it calls one of the gravest national security dangers that the United States faces.”
The other agencies that look into the issues of cyber attacks and solve cases of cyber crimes include: Department of Homeland Security, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and National Security Agency.
As many American companies have witnessed a string of high-profile cyber hacks in the recent times, the main aim of the new agency will be to fill the gaps between the existing federal agencies.
“The CTIIC will boost our situational awareness, enhance indications and warning, and strengthen cyber unity of effort for the US government. It will ensure indicators of malicious activity are downgraded to the lowest possible classification level to facilitate seamless intelligence flows among centers, including those responsible for sharing with the private sector,” the official said.
According to the official, the proposed cyber security center will be established via presidential memorandum, under the authority from an intelligence law of 2004.
The administration said that they have planned to use the existing funds in the budget for 2015. Moreover, they are also mulling over seeking another USD 35 million in the budget proposal for the new agency for 2016.
While addressing his State of the Union address for this year, President Obama has urged Congress to pass a legislation intended to check the issue, saying “we need to better meet the evolving threat of cyber-attacks, combat identity theft, and protect our children’s information.”
Some of the high profile hacking attacks carried in the recent past are: Sony Pictures, Anthem Inc, Target, Home Depot and many more.
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