Report on Securing and Growing the Digital Economy

Recognizing the extraordinary benefit interconnected technologies bring to our digital economy—and equally mindful of the accompanying challenges posed by threats to the security of the cyber landscape—President Barack Obama established this Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity. He directed the Commission to assess the state of our nation’s cybersecurity, and he charged this group with developing actionable recommendations for securing the digital economy. The President asked that this enhanced cybersecurity be achieved while at the same time protecting privacy, ensuring public safety and economic and national security, and fostering the discovery and development of new technical solutions. The Commissioners organized their findings into six major imperatives, which together contain a total of 16 recommendations and 53 associated action items. The imperatives are:
1. Protect, defend, and secure today’s information infrastructure and digital networks.
2. Innovate and accelerate investment for the security and growth of digital networks and the digital economy.
3. Prepare consumers to thrive in a digital age.
4. Build cybersecurity workforce capabilities.
5. Better equip government to function effectively and securely in the digital age.
6. Ensure an open, fair, competitive, and secure global digital economy.