Cyber czar: Threat protection is a shared responsibility

The government, individual users and the private sector all play critical roles in protecting the nation against cyber threats, a senior White House official said Friday.

Speaking to a group of high school students at a cybsersecurity education workshop sponsored by Northrop Grumman Corp. in Arlington, Va., Howard Schmidt, special assistant to the president for cybersecurity, said while government plays a vital role in securing networks, it tends to thwart innovation and "the last thing we want to do is slow that down," he said.

The private sector and users must take responsibility for their actions, according to Schmidt. For example, individuals who use social networking have an obligation to think through the ramifications of putting information online. "We as users have to make sure we're doing what we can to protect each other," he said.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which signifies "more than just making people [know] there's worms, viruses [and] Trojans out there," said Schmidt, referring to malware that allows unauthorized users access to infected computers. "It also gives us an opportunity to remind all of us that we have a shared responsibility."

The motto of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, "Stop. Think. Connect.", is more than a marketing slogan. If an e-mail message appears too good to be true, it probably is, he said.

Given the ubiquity of technology in most people's daily lives -- Schmidt noted he carried both a BlackBerry and an iPhone -- it is critical for everyone to be proactive in protecting data the data they control. "We all have to do our part," he added.