Ellen Nakashima

The creation and shutting down of a web site illustrate the need for clearer policies governing cyberwar.

The Cybersecurity Act, drafted by Senate commerce committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV) and committee member Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), is an attempt to prod the Obama administration and Congress to be more aggressive in crafting a coordinated national strategy for dealing with cyberthreats.

FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III warned Thursday that the cyberterrorism threat is "real and . . . rapidly expanding."

The federal government must become more aggressive in getting industry to protect computer networks because self-regulation is not working, leading cybersecurity experts told Congress on Tuesday.

More than 75,000 computer systems at nearly 2,500 companies in the United States and around the world have been hacked in what appears to be one of the largest and most sophisticated attacks by cyber criminals discovered to date.

More private computers were commandeered by hackers for malicious purposes in China in the last quarter of 2009 than in any other country, including the United States, according to a new study by an Internet security company.

The world's largest Internet search company and the world's most powerful electronic surveillance organization are teaming up in the name of cybersecurity.

The Pentagon's plan to set up a command to defend its global network of computer systems has been slowed by congressional questions about its mission and possible privacy concerns.

The federal government is struggling to fill a growing demand for skilled computer-security workers, from technicians to policymakers, at a time when network attacks are rising in frequency and sophistication.

On Tuesday, President Barack Obama will name Howard A. Schmidt hiss new White House Cybersecurity Coordinator. Schmidt was also a cyber-adviser in President George W. Bush's White House.