Obama creates new cybersecurity agency

President Obama on Wednesday authorized the creation of a new government agency for cybersecurity.

The Cyber Threat intelligence Integration Center (CTIIC) is intended to combine cybersecurity data from across the intelligence community to give the government a more holistic picture of various cyber threats. 

{mosads}The division will not collect new intelligence but will be housed within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Civilian agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), will get access to the CTIIC’s cyber analysis.

The White House first announced the new agency in early February.  

“Currently, no single government entity is responsible for producing coordinated cyber threat assessments,” Lisa Monaco, homeland security adviser to President Obama, said at the time. “CTIIC is intended to fill these gaps.”

The agency is being formed as part of the White House’s recent push on cyber.

The administration in January unveiled a multi-pronged cyber legislative agenda, and Obama recently signed an executive order intended to facilitate public-private cyber data sharing.

White House officials have promoted the new agency, highlighting it during a recent daylong cybersecurity summit at Stanford University.

But some have questioned the government’s ability to staff the CTIIC, given the ongoing shortages of federal cyber employees.

The White House said Wednesday it anticipated the CTIIC would consist of roughly 50 employees “drawn from relevant departments and agencies.”

FBI officials on Tuesday told reporters it expected to play a large role in the formation of the agency.

Robert Anderson, who leads the FBI’s Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch, said the new department will ensure no cyber information is being “stovepiped” within the government, meaning it is not shared with other agencies.