White House unveils plan for upgraded cyber security measures

The Obama administration has released a proposed framework for handling data breaches and attacks on IT infrastructure for government and private enterprises.

The Cybersecurity Legislation Proposal (PDF) describes cyber security vulnerabilities in government and critical infrastructure as a "risk to national security, public safety and economic prosperity".

"The administration has responded to Congress' call for input on the cyber security legislation that our nation needs, and we look forward to engaging with Congress as it moves forward on this issue," it added.

The plan calls for guidelines allowing private companies to contact the Department of Homeland Security for assistance and advice in dealing with data breaches and attacks.

Companies will also face stricter regulations in reporting and detailing possible data breaches which lead to the loss of customer account information across the entire US.

Additionally, the administration is looking to increase penalties for cyber criminals, adding provisions to allow cyber crimes to be prosecuted as organised crime activities under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act.

The proposals are seen by many in the security community as a step in the right direction, but some feel that there is much more work to be done.

"While it tries to address some of the gaps that have existed for years, the proposal would benefit from some specifics. Actually, a lot more specifics," said Rob Rachwald, director of security strategy at Imperva, in a statement provided to V3.co.uk.

"In some key areas, the proposal is 'plan for a plan' as opposed to prescribing specific actionable steps to protect data, intellectual property and infrastructure."