Obama cyber czar choice worries about smartphones, social networking

In choosing Howard Schmidt as cyber czar President Obama has gotten someone who has held a similar job in a previous administration, has varied experience at high-level corporate jobs, was a frequent panelist at security conferences and who has even written a book on defending the Internet. The new cyber czar favors government promotion of education, research and prodding vendors to produce more secure products that will work their way into everyday use. He thinks Internet security is greatly improved since the mid-1990s when he ranked the impact of a foreign cyberattack in the United States at 5 or 6 on a scale of one to 10, with 10 meaning attacks would have no effect. That has improved to 8 or 9 because the number of attack vectors has been reduced. "We have the ability to turn back attacks. We also could shut down systems that might be under attack and bring them internal," he says. Getting cybersecurity considered as important as physical security -- such as protecting planes and ports -- was a hurdle that is being overcome. Schmidt says he realizes the country can't have two No. 1 priorities, but it needs to boost the effort put behind cybersecurity. "The government has recognized that work has to be done. We're getting much closer to having them on equal footing," he says. In past interviews he has said smartphones and other such mobile devices generate the most concern.