âOur critical infrastructure continues to be at risk from threats in cyberspace, and our economy is harmed by the theft of our intellectual property,â Obama said in a statement.
âAlthough 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,â he added.
Dan Verton writes the administration hopes the 39-page document will help encourage long-term and continuous collaboration between the public and private sectors.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology authored the guidelines that offer companies broad standards to address possible vulnerabilities in their systems, according to the report.
âFrom the beginning, the president envisioned this as a voluntary effort that would be based on consensus standards and industry best practices to the extent possible,â NIST Director Patrick Gallagher said, according to the report.
âWe wanted to make sure this was something that was flexible and able to be tailored to the needs of individual businesses.â