White House cyber budget targets industry outreach

The White House budget released Monday includes a number of cybersecurity investments intended to strengthen the government’s partnerships with the private sector.

The public-private exchange of cybersecurity information has been a top priority for the administration of late, and that continued in its fiscal 2016 budget.

{mosads}In addition to the agency-by-agency cyber investments, the White House emphasized several cross-government programs to enhance government outreach to industry.

The budget promotes the “enhancement of government information sharing capabilities with the private sector so that they can be more vigilant and better protect themselves against emerging threats,” the White House said.

Specifically, Obama is pushing for $227 million to start construction on a Civilian Cyber Campus, which would bring together the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and FBI’s cyber workforce.

The new campus would “provide a secure and modern technical footing, and improve the ability to collaborate with private industry and external partners,” the White House said.

The private sector has complained of the logistical difficulties of sharing cyber information with the government.

Having DHS and FBI’s cyber mission on the same grounds would “improve collaboration and efficiency,” the White House said.

The White House also wants another $149 million “to support ongoing proactive efforts to improve the cybersecurity posture of our private sector partners.”

The focus is in line with a recent slate of cyber policy proposals the White House revealed in January.

The centerpiece of the initiative is a legislative offering that would give legal liability protections for private companies sharing cyber threat information with the DHS.

In addition to the logistical barriers to sharing cyber information, companies worry they are exposing themselves to lawsuits or regulatory action by giving cyber data to the government.

But both industry groups and government officials believe the two sides need to exchange more cyber threat details to better defend the country’s networks.

“The problem is that government and the private sector are still not always working as closely together as we should,” Obama said when revealing the measure.