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The Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center
(CTIIC) will be an "intelligence center that will 'connect the
dots' between various cyber threats to the nation so that
relevant departments and agencies are aware of these threats in
as close to real time as possible," the official said on
condition of anonymity.
Obama has moved cybersecurity to the top of his 2015 agenda
after recent hacking attacks against Sony Pictures <6758.T>,
Home Depot Inc <HD.N> and Target Corp <TGT.N> and the federal
government itself. The Democratic president sees it as an area
where cooperation is possible with the Republican-led Congress.
The CTIIC will aim for "seamless intelligence flows among
centers, including those responsible for sharing with the
private sector," the official said in an email.
The center will be formally announced in an address on Tuesday
by the White House counter terrorism coordinator, Lisa Monaco.
The Obama administration likened the new agency to the National
Counterterrorism Center established after the Sept. 11, 2001,
attacks by al Qaeda following criticism that the various U.S.
intelligence agencies were not communicating well.
It will have a similar broad focus of providing "integrated,
all-source analysis" of threats, the official said.
"No existing agency has the responsibility for performing these
functions, so we need these gaps to be filled to help the
federal government meet its responsibilities in cybersecurity,"
the official said.
Congress has tried for years to pass legislation to encourage
companies to share data from cyberattacks with the government
and each other. Liability issues raised by companies and privacy
concerns of civil liberties groups contributed to the failure to
implement such laws.
Obama's proposed legislation tries to balance security needs
with concerns by offering liability protection to companies that
provide information in near real-time to the government, while
requiring them to strip it of personal data.
The Washington Post first reported the creation of the agency.
(Reporting by Warren Strobel; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing
by Susan Heavey)
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