Obama seeking rise in US cyber security funding

Washington: President Barack Obama's budget proposal for the 2017 fiscal year

seeks $ 19 billion for cyber security across the U. S. government, a surge of $ 5 billion over this year, according to senior administration officials. The request comes as

the Obama administration has struggled to address the growing risk posed by criminals and nation states in the digital world. The initiative,

to be released later on Tuesday, is more than a onethird increase from the $ 14 billion sought last year and

will include $ 3.1 billion for technology modernization at various federal agencies. It is

unclear whether the Republican- controlled Congress will approve the increase. The request for a

cash infusion is the latest signal from the White House that it intends to make cyber security a top priority in the last year of Obama’s presidency. The move follows a series of high- profile hacks against the government and companies like Sony Pictures ( 6758. T) and Target ( TGT. N), that were largely met with

legislative inaction and administrative uncertainty on how best to address evolving cyber threats. Those difficulties played out publicly last year when the

Office of Personnel Management announced it had fallen victim to a massive hack that lifted sensitive information on roughly 22 million individuals from its databases. The White House

will also announce Tuesday plans for a presidential commission on cyber security, which will make recommendations on how to strengthen defenses over the next

decade. Officials, who briefed reporters before the formal release of the Obama budget, said they would create a new position of federal chief information security

officer. — Reuters