President Obama Launches New Cybersecurity Initiative
US government invests $19 billion on enhancing security and replacing ancient computer systems.
President Obama signed two executive orders to improve security on US government networks. The executive orders are reflected in the 2017 budget the president sent to Congress, which calls for $19 billion in upgrades for government information technology.
One of the orders creates a Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity, which makes recommendations for building better security on both public and private networks. The second order launches the Federal Privacy Council, which will bring together privacy officials from 25 government agencies to help ensure more uniform protection of citizen information.
The initiatives are intended to promote better security and privacy practices throughout the government and to keep the emphasis on replacing out-of-date infrastructure. In his press conference launching the programs, Obama pointed out that the Social Security Administration system runs on a 1960s-era platform written in COBOL, which requires up to 400 people to maintain it.
The administration says the plan does not rely on increased funding but shifts existing priorities within the government. See the report at USA Today for more information on the announcement.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Nitrux 6.0 Now Ready to Rock Your World
The latest iteration of the Debian-based distribution includes all kinds of newness.
-
Linux Foundation Reports that Open Source Delivers Better ROI
In a report that may surprise no one in the Linux community, the Linux Foundation found that businesses are finding a 5X return on investment with open source software.
-
Keep Android Open
Google has announced that, soon, anyone looking to develop Android apps will have to first register centrally with Google.
-
Kernel 7.0 Now in Testing
Linus Torvalds has announced the first Release Candidate (RC) for the 7.x kernel is available for those who want to test it.
-
Introducing matrixOS, an Immutable Gentoo-Based Linux Distro
It was only a matter of time before a developer decided one of the most challenging Linux distributions needed to be immutable.
-
Chaos Comes to KDE in KaOS
KaOS devs are making a major change to the distribution, and it all comes down to one system.
-
New Linux Botnet Discovered
The SSHStalker botnet uses IRC C2 to control systems via legacy Linux kernel exploits.
-
The Next Linux Kernel Turns 7.0
Linus Torvalds has announced that after Linux kernel 6.19, we'll finally reach the 7.0 iteration stage.
-
Linux From Scratch Drops SysVinit Support
LFS will no longer support SysVinit.
-
LibreOffice 26.2 Now Available
With new features, improvements, and bug fixes, LibreOffice 26.2 delivers a modern, polished office suite without compromise.