Obama names cyber czar

Washington, Dec. 22: The White House has tapped a corporate cyber security expert and former Bush administration official to lead the effort to shore up the country’s computer networks and better coordinate with companies that operate 80 per cent of those critical systems.

Mr Howard A. Schmidt, a former eBay and Microsoft executive, will become the government’s cyber security coordinator, weathering a rocky selection process that dragged on for months, as others turned the job down.

The US President, Mr Barack Obama, is expected to make the announcement on Tuesday, according to a senior White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision had not been made public yet.

Mr Schmidt’s selection comes more than 10 months after Mr Obama declared cyber security a priority and ordered a broad administration review. Mr Schmidt will have regular and direct access to the President for cyber security issues, the official said.

Mr Schmidt will report to the National Security Council and support the National Economic Council on cyber issues.