The Obama administration on Tuesday declassified part of the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative created during the Bush administration, outlining offensive and defensive strategies for protecting information networks.

White House Internet security adviser Howard A. Schmidt announced the availability of an unclassified version of the administration's plan at a security industry event in San Francisco.

Today, I'm pleased to announce that the administration has updated the classification guidance for the...CNCI, which began in 2008 and forms an important component in our cybersecurity efforts within the federal government.

The initiative was originally intended to unify efforts of a number of government agencies into a comprehensive strategy to protect the nation's computer networks.

The Obama administration, Schmidt said, is committed to openness in government. Transparency, he said, is necessary to address legitimate questions that have arisen about the role of the intelligence community in cybersecurity.

We must all partner together to make sure cybersecurity is secure, he said.

The CNCI consists of 12 initiatives. These are:

1) Manage the Federal Enterprise Network as a single network enterprise with Trusted Internet Connections.

2) Deploy an intrusion detection system of sensors across the Federal enterprise.

3) Pursue deployment of intrusion prevention systems across the Federal enterprise.

4) Coordinate and redirect research and development (R&D) efforts. 5) Connect current cyber ops centers to enhance situational awareness.

6) Develop and implement a government-wide cyber counterintelligence (CI) plan.

7) Increase the security of our classified networks. 8) Expand cyber education.

9) Define and develop enduring leap-ahead technology, strategies, and programs.

10) Define and develop enduring deterrence strategies and programs.

11) Develop a multi-pronged approach for global supply chain risk management.

12) Define the Federal role for extending cybersecurity into critical infrastructure domains.

Our collective knowledge and our experience are probably the most power tool we have, Schmidt concluded. We're not going to wind up beating our adversaries because they're weak, he said. ...We'll beat them because we will become stronger.

Cybercrime Security