With cyber czar in place, lawmakers continue legislative push

For the better part of a year, it seemed that virtually every debate and discussion involving cybersecurity centered on the so-called cyber czar: Who would it be? How much power would the czar have? What would the official's responsibilities entail? Why was it taking so long to name someone? Should he or she even be called a czar?

But even with the appointment of Howard Schmidt, a computer security veteran with loads of experience in government and industry, as the White House's cyber coordinator, the numerous online threats facing the United States didn't instantaneously evaporate. Schmidt's entrance did put a trusted face on the Obama administration's approach to protecting cyber infrastructure: Lawmakers have a clearer picture of the administration's computer security plans, and industry, which is always quick to point out that companies own a vast majority of cyber infrastructure, seemed pleased with the choice. Now the focus of debate on the government's role in computer security might shift down Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House to the Capitol. Indeed, momentum for more government involvement seemingly grows with every dire intelligence assessment, online financial fraud case, or newspaper article about Google and China. All that adds up to ammunition for a sustained push by lawmakers who want to advance comprehensive cybersecurity legislation.