White House Proposes $19 Billion Budget Allocation for Cybersecurity

US President Barrack Obama is seeking a 35 percent hike in cybersecurity funding in his final budget to boost the capability of the federal government to defend itself against cyberattacks.

The proposed $19 billion request, which represents one of the largest increases ever sought in this area, comes as Congress and the public have witnessed an alarming series of intrusions in recent years against targets ranging from Target and Sony to the Pentagon and the Office of Personnel Management.

The proposal is part of a larger package of initiatives the White House is calling the cybersecurity national action plan.

The money would go toward replacing aging — in some cases decades-old — computer systems with new machines and software, hiring additional skilled personnel, and increasing capabilities at the Pentagon’s Cyber Command and the FBI as well as in civilian agencies such as OPM and the Department of Veterans Affairs, officials said.

Some portion of the money will go to the classified cyber budget for intelligence agencies such as the National Security Agency and the CIA, they said.

— Ellen Nakashima

[To read more, click here]

Adapted from WAPO

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